A Purley care home manager who raped a woman at knife-point has been jailed for seven years after spending two years on the run.
John Jambu, 34, of Brighton Road, South Croydon, was caught living under a different name following an appeal on BBC's Crimewatch.
Jambu, an illegal immigrant now facing deportation, originally denied the offence but was convicted on January 28 following an Old Bailey trial. He had earlier pleaded guilty to fraud-related matters concerning identity documents, for which he was sentenced to nine months imprisonment.
The court heard Jambu had been working as a manager of a nursing agency in 2010 when the victim approached him for work. They had a professional relationship as Jambu had given her work previously. He took her to a pub for a meeting but the prospective employer did not turn up. He then offered the victim a lift home via his flat in Woolwich, under the pretence of picking up some laundry.
While there, Jambu told the victim that he had to speak to someone outside, but, unbeknown to the victim, he went out and purchased a pack of condoms. On his return he became violent, making sexual advances and threatening her with a knife before raping her.
The victim managed to escape from Jambu's flat and run into the street where she stopped a car, pleading for help. The occupants of the vehicle took her to Woolwich railway station and she made her way home and reported the incident to police.
Although the victim identified the flat where the attack happened, Jambu had left.
But he was caught out and identified after the crime was highlighted on Crimewatch.
Jambu was arrested on July 20 last year at his home address after information received directly from the appeal gave the investigating team an address for him. When he was arrested, Jambu was hiding inside a divan bed in the bedroom. He gave a false name on arrest and was also found to have identification and credit cards under a false name.
Detective Constable Peter Thompson said: "Jambu used extreme violence in order to carry out this attack. He lured the victim back to his home and raped her at knifepoint. He then went on the run for two years, changing his identity.
"However, thanks to the members of the public coming forward from the Crimewatch appeal, we managed to track him down to face justice. The victim in this case showed tremendous strength and courage to give evidence against him some two-and-a-half years after the attack. I hope the sentence handed down by the
judge goes some way towards helping the victim recover from this ordeal."
Detective Inspector Faye Churchyard added: "The investigation team never gave up on tracking down Jambu. We caught up with him even though he created a new life and identity for himself. He is now where he should be - languishing in prison. Rape is a pernicious crime and under-reported by victims. I hope this conviction will encourage those who have been victims to come forward and tell us what has happened to them."
