DNA Evidence Traps Rapist 19 Years After Acton Park Attack
Adrian Satchwell caught after committing another offence
Adrian Satchwell. Picture: Met Police
March 30, 2023
A man who raped a woman in Acton Park in 2004 has been jailed for 10 and a half years after DNA evidence emerged linking him with the attack.
60-year-old Adrian Satchwell of Dairy Close, Willesden had thought he had escaped justice but nearly nineteen years after the original offence, he is now behind bars.
At around 1:00am on Sunday, 4 July 2004, he carried out the rape along with another man who remains unidentified.
His DNA profile had been obtained at the time of the original offence but there was no matching identity on the national police data base.
The police say they have remained in contact with the woman who was attacked over the last nineteen years and followed numerous lines of enquiry. They chased up several leads including CCTV enquires, issuing e-fits, working with Interpol and the examination of other similar offences at the time.
However, it wasn’t until 2017 when Satchwell was arrested in connection with another sexual assault investigation, that police were able to find a matching sample of DNA. When it was run through the police database, a connection with the 2004 attack was flagged up.
At this point, the Met’s Cold Case team assisted and reviewed the investigation, and identified further tests that could be carried to see if the second suspect could be identified, which was unfortunately proved to be a dead end.
Satchwell was charged with two counts of rape in August 2021 following a lengthy investigation delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Detective Sergeant Susan Phillips, who led the investigation said, “Despite there being a 19 year gap between the rape and today’s outcome, the Met has not given up and remained dedicated to putting the man responsible for this horrifying attack behind bars.
“Satchwell is a violent, predatory rapist and it is a relief to know he will spend many years in prison. What he did to the victim had a profound and lasting impact on her life. He has shown no remorse.
“I was determined to get justice for the victim who has remained stoic over the past 19 years. Her dedication and commitment to the investigation and throughout the trial has led to today’s outcome. She is an incredibly brave woman.”
In an impact statement read out in court, the victim said, “Before this happened to me I had a lot of self-confidence. I would go out with friends but since this has happened I have found that I am a lot more restrictive with what I do. At the time I became a lot more withdrawn, not talking to anyone and devoid of emotion.
“To this day, I find that I am still anxious, I suffer from panic attacks, chest pains and shaking. I walk around in a constant state of hypervigilance.
“I am so grateful for the tenacity of DS Susan Phillips, to purse and delve in to this case and to not let it go. The other police officers and barrister at court made me feel so comfortable and I am so grateful. There have been so many difficult stages along the way, but they have just made it so much more comfortable.
“I am relieved to have had what happened to me validated by the jury. That man is disgusting, he disgusts me that he lied and made up different stories along the way to try and avoid what he did to me.”
Satchwell was sentenced on Wednesday, 29 March at Isleworth Crown Court after being previously found guilty of rape following a trial. After the 10 years and six months imprisonment, he will be on licence for a further two years.
Value Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |