Detective who worked tirelessly to track Leeds rapist down to Germany wins West Yorkshire Police award

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A Leeds detective who worked tirelessly on a horrific rape case that involved chasing down one of the defendants to Germany has been commended for her “excellent work”.

DC Samantha Wilson also had to work cross-border with police in Scotland and sacrifice countless personal hours to bring the two men - Ibrahima Krubally and Ibrahim Kone - to justice.

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DC Wilson, 46, received the Crime Investigation Award at the Leeds District Awards Evening last Thursday and gave the YEP an insight afterwards into the great lengths that officers go to in the most complex of cases.

Krubally and Kone were both found guilty of rape following a trial and sentenced to 12 and eight years in jail respectively at Leeds Crown Court in June this year.

The two men sexually assaulted two women who had travelled to Leeds from Scotland for a night out in July 2021. After meeting them in the city centre, they lured the couple to a house in Harehills by falsely saying that there was a party before the women were “held down and violently raped”.

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DC Samantha Wilson was given the 'Crime Investigation Award' at the Leeds District Awards EveningDC Samantha Wilson was given the 'Crime Investigation Award' at the Leeds District Awards Evening
DC Samantha Wilson was given the 'Crime Investigation Award' at the Leeds District Awards Evening | West Yorkshire police

The two women fled the house and returned to Scotland, where they reported the incident to the police; who then subsequently contacted the force in West Yorkshire.

DC Wilson joined West Yorkshire Police in 2001, saying that she wanted to “do the right thing and give a voice to those who haven’t necessarily got it”.

She said: “It’s not a 9-5 job. You can’t just turn to your victims and tell them that you’re off work. You become a part of their lives at their darkest moments.”

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After being assigned the case back in 2021 DC Wilson had to travel up to Scotland to secure vital evidence including clothing and medical samples before transferring it back to Leeds, saying: “There was no room for error.”

Ibrahima Krubally (left) and Ibrahim Kone were found guilty of rape following the investigation led by DC Samantha WilsonIbrahima Krubally (left) and Ibrahim Kone were found guilty of rape following the investigation led by DC Samantha Wilson
Ibrahima Krubally (left) and Ibrahim Kone were found guilty of rape following the investigation led by DC Samantha Wilson | West Yorkshire Police

She then began the investigation back in West Yorkshire and Kone was arrested and interviewed through DNA evidence that linked him to the crime. However, due to the severity of the attack affecting other evidence, extra work had to be taken to establish a strong enough case to convict Krubally.

DC Wilson made a promise to the victims that they wouldn’t be put through two separate trials and undertook a “long, protracted enquiry” to link the two men to the attack, which involved putting Krubally through a video ID parade where he was identified by both victims.

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She said: “The driving purpose that led the heart of the investigation for me was the victims.

“I didn’t want the two victims to endure two trials and two nightmares.”

After the charges were brought against the two men and Krubally failed to attend a pre-trial court hearing, DC Wilson said she “undertook some covert policing” to track him down and discovered that he had fled to Munich in Germany.

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DC Samantha Wilson said she was "incredibly proud" to receive the awardDC Samantha Wilson said she was "incredibly proud" to receive the award
DC Samantha Wilson said she was "incredibly proud" to receive the award | West Yorkshire police

She then contacted the national crime agency who opened a link with the police in Germany, who were able to establish Krubally’s whereabouts and extradite him back to the UK so that he and Kone could be brought to justice.

DC Wilson said: “The victims came back in person and gave evidence in court. I can’t begin to tell you how proud I was of them to come back after what had happened and facing the defendants at such a young age. It’s just so commendable.”

Asked how she reflected on the case and the long hours she had put into it, DC Wilson said: “When you get a case of this magnitude which involves forensic work, video ID parades, cross-border investigations, covert policing tactics and international warrants and you are the one who is the driving force behind it then you have to do it with as much enthusiasm and thirst as you can.

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“You have to think ‘we can’t let them get away. We have to put them away to safeguard and protect the public so they can’t do it to someone else’.”

Over 200 documents were eventually sent by DC Wilson to the CPS in the case - described as “dissertation worthy” at the awards ceremony - and there was plenty of personal time given up and late nights working, to which she said: “You can’t take your eye off the ball. It’s an everyday task.”

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On what the payoff is when the guilty verdict is read out in court though, she said: “Immense job satisfaction. The sacrifices then become worth it.

“I hope that I’m inspiring the new recruits that I tutor who want to go into detective crime and I hope that I’m leaving a legacy that I can later tell my children and grandchildren about.”

On receiving the award for her work on the case, DC Wilson said: “It was a really proud moment and it was great to share it with my husband, who is also a police officer and my parents because they have ultimately had to support me when sacrifices have been made at home.

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“A lot of officers do a lot of work so when you are going above and beyond like I do and the senior leaders identify that it makes you feel like you want to go on and that the bad days are just that.”