An unlicensed tattoo artist who “exploited and abused” a woman’s trust before raping her while she was unconscious at his flat has been sentenced to 13 years in prison. Brazilian Dewal Dos Santos Silva, 37, of High Road, Wembley, north-west London, was contacted by the victim, a woman in her mid-30s, who arranged to go to the flat to get a tattoo done on the evening of October 30 2020.
While there she became groggy and lost consciousness before waking in the early hours of the following morning to find Dos Santos Silva raping her. As the “distraught” woman went home after the attack, Dos Santos Silva sent a text apologising for “screwing up” and asking if she was angry with him.
He was arrested by police on November 3 of that year, claiming he could not remember what had happened, but officers had seized forensic evidence which would later prove his guilt. Police say there is a “possibility” more victims are yet to come forward.
