UK | Leeds Rapist Austin Osayande Pleads Guilty

Leeds Rape | Austin Osayande pleads guilty nearly seven years after footage of him carrying 24-year-old was first released.

A rapist who was caught on CCTV carrying his victim through Leeds city centre before he attacked her has admitted his guilt nearly seven years after the incident took place.

West Yorkshire police released the footage in 2015. It showed a smartly dressed man now known to have been Austin Osayande carrying a woman through deserted streets.

Police said the 24-year-old victim had been walking to get a taxi home at about 5am after a night out with friends. Osayande, 40, was not caught until last September when he was arrested in connection with a separate sexual assault.

Harrowing footage released by police shows the fiend walking alongside her before he scooped her up.

Osayande, 40, can then be seen carrying her to the scene of the terrifying attack. He is facing jail after pleading guilty to rape at Leeds Crown Court.

The monster also admitted a charge of assault by penetration for a second attack on a different victim on September 10, 2021. The court was told CCTV showed Osayande on August 14, 2015, loitering in a car park around 4:40 a.m.

He was then spotted approaching the woman five minutes later as she waited for a cab following a night out. After chatting with her, the rapist snatches her from the streets.

Police released the haunting footage seven years ago as they hunted for the predator. Osayande originally denied the charges and was due to stand trial in March. He was remanded in custody to next appear at the same court for sentencing on February 23.

Police said at the time that the CCTV footage showed a man, who had the appearance of a doorman, “walking with purpose” around the city centre before approaching the woman.

He was described as black, aged 30 to 40, tall and with a shaved head. He was wearing a long black overcoat and black trousers.

The then head of crime for Leeds district, Det Supt Pat Twiggs, said: “The footage of the victim being carried off by this man clearly makes for disturbing viewing. We gave very careful consideration to releasing it and secured the consent of the victim who has been left understandably traumatised by what this man did to her.

“I think the CCTV gives a really stark illustration of the very serious nature of this offence and we hope it will focus the public’s minds on helping us to identify and trace the man responsible.”

Police said the man appeared a number of times on CCTV cameras. One piece of footage showed him loitering in a car park. Another showed him approaching a woman at 4.45am.

“The other footage we have released shows this man walking around Leeds city centre and we strongly believe he was looking for someone to attack before he focused on the victim,” said Twiggs.

“The way the offender is dressed does give him the appearance of a doorman and we have been making extensive inquiries with licensed premises. However, there could be other reasons why he was dressed smartly like this.”

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