Roehampton Rapist Jailed Two Decades After His Crime
DNA evidence helped secure the conviction of Lindell Campbell
65-year-old Lindell (Tony) Campbell of Burke Close
May 22, 2023
A man from Roehampton has been jailed for six years for a rape he committed in 2004.
Police had been unable to identify a suspect at the time of the offence, but DNA analysis techniques allowed them to track down 65-year-old Lindell Campbell of Burke Close.
In October 2004, he had met a woman visiting from America in a pub in Mortlake. She had gone to the pub after being unable to contact a friend she was supposed to be staying with.
Campbell befriended her and offered to give her a place to stay when her friend didn’t arrive and attempts to contact her proved unsuccessful. As it was by this time late in the evening, she felt she had no choice but to agree.
Once at Campbell’s home, he insisted she share the bed with him, rather than sleep on the sofa as she had suggested and then he raped her twice.
The victim stayed at Campbell’s home until the morning, fearing what he would do if she tried to leave. The following day he walked her to the station.
She reported the rape and was cared for at a facility specialised in caring for victims of rape or sexual assault where staff and a specially trained officer provided advice and assistance. Unfortunately, despite being driven around the area to locate Campbell’s address she was unable to identify it and the police eventually abandoned the investigation.
In 2018, Campbell was linked to a harassment case in which chewing gum was thrown at someone’s front door and car. DNA tests were performed on the chewing gum, which matched the DNA found at the time of the rape.
At this point, Campbell had not been arrested but the victim of the harassment thought she recognised Campbell, who was also known as Tony, and told officers that he lived in Burke Close.
Having identified him as a suspect they compared his image with CCTV footage of an incident in 2014 and several other cases of harassment which allowed them to detain Campbell as a suspect.
One he was custody, a fast-time DNA test was carried out, confirming a match to both the rape and harassment cases.
Detective Constable Tony Anionwu, from the Met's Specialist Crime Command, said, “Despite it being 18 years since this attack took place, it continues to have a significant impact on the victim, and we are pleased that the man responsible has finally been brought to justice.
"The dedication and perseverance of our officers should act as a warning to anyone else who has committed such an awful crime."
The trial took place at Kingston Crown Court and Campbell was found guilty of two counts of rape on Tuesday, 9 May.
He was sentenced on the same day to six years' imprisonment to run concurrently. He will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
DC Anionwu added, “We are dedicated to removing those who are violent towards women and girls from the streets of London. Campbell not only sexually assaulted a young, vulnerable woman who was on holiday, but then went on to harass another woman, making her feel uncomfortable in her own home."
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