A “vile” paedophile who groomed and raped a young girl in Hackney has been jailed for 28 years.
Anthony Maina, 52, of Allen Road, Stoke Newington, was sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court on Thursday, after being found guilty of 17 offences, including seven counts of rape.
The court heard how Maina exploited a position of trust to groom the girl, buying her gifts, clothing, food and mobile phones in a bid to normalise the abuse he was carrying out.
He referred to the victim as “his girl” and his “best friend in the universe”, and would regularly accuse her of having “neglected” him if she did not maintain contact.
Maina would isolate her from all of those around her to knock away at her confidence to prevent her from questioning what he was doing.
He would ask the survivor to come to his property under false pretences, such as to receive a parcel or let some workmen in, and would then abuse her.
When she began to challenge this, he would suggest to her other family members she was being unhelpful, to in effect force her to come to his property.
Investigating officer Met Detective Constable Stefan Wimmer said Maina’s crimes were some of the most “vile and despicable psychological manipulation and sexual abuse I have ever encountered.
“It is sickening to think that individuals like Maina exist,” he said.
The girl went to her local police station in December 2018 to report the sexual abuse she was subjected to and an investigation was launched.
DC Wimmer said: “Maina did not show a flicker of remorse over the course of the investigation, and tried to claim in interview the survivor was merely a ‘troublemaker’ in an attempt to discredit her.
“The survivor, on the other hand, has shown an immense amount of patience, courage and resolve since the moment she came to police and I have nothing but admiration for her.
“It is because of her bravery in coming forward and assisting police that Maina is behind bars. I hope that the sentence provides her with some solace, and that in time she can put this horrific episode of her life behind her.”
The survivor added: “To all survivors that are going through any type of abuse, I would encourage you to come forward because I didn’t think that I’d get this outcome, but I did, and now that he’s sentenced he’s going to prison for many years, and I won’t have to endure him anymore.
“You shouldn’t feel worried, you just need to be patient and strong. It will be a weight off your shoulders.”
