The identity of rapist Austin Osayande remained a mystery for six years despite extensive enquiries by detectives

Sinister CCTV footage of Osayande, taken in the early hours of Friday, August 14, showing him carrying the victim away in his arms had been released at the time as part of an appeal to the public for information.

The victim, a 24-year-old woman, had been walking to get a taxi home when she was approached by Osayande in Kirkgate.

He spoke to her and walked alongside her along Briggate and onto The Headrow before they reached Dortmund Square.

He then picked her up in his arms and carried her to a secluded doorway in nearby Mark Lane, next to the St John’s shopping centre, where he raped her.

At the time, then Detective Superintendent Pat Twiggs, Head of Crime for Leeds District, 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.”

The investigation saw hundreds of hours of CCTV gathered and reviewed, and widespread enquiries with licensed premises and other city centre businesses, as well as with hundreds of people who had been out in the city centre that night.

Detectives trawled CCTV footage and built up a picture of the suspect’s movements.

This showed him loitering in a car park in Swinegate before approaching a woman in the street shortly before the attack.

That woman was never traced despite public appeals. He was also shown casually walking through the city centre along Briggate.

Forensic work identified a DNA sample of the suspect from the victim, but this did not match anyone recorded on the police database.

Longer-term work by the investigation team included looking at familial DNA in an effort to identify males who were on the database who could be relatives of the suspect, but this did not result in Osayande being identified.

Then on September 10 last year, police received a report from a woman who reported being sexually assaulted in her home in Leeds by a delivery driver.

Osayande was quickly identified as the suspect and was arrested the same day. He denied the offence and was released on bail with conditions while enquiries continued.

A DNA sample taken from him while in custody for this offence was processed and found to be a match to the 2015 attack and Osayande was arrested over that incident.

He was subsequently charged with rape in relation to the 2015 incident and assault by penetration for the 2021 offence.

Osayande, aged 40, of Sissons Road, Middleton, initially pleaded not guilty when he appeared at Leeds Crown Court via videolink in October last year, but then admitted both offences at a hearing at Leeds Crown Court on 27 January.

He was sentenced to 16 years at Leeds Crown Court today .

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Pat Twiggs, said: “Osayande is the absolute embodiment of a dangerous sexual predator. The CCTV footage from 2015 shows him prowling the streets in the early hours, hunting for a woman to sexually attack for his own twisted gratification.

“The traumatic impact that his appalling actions have caused to the victims of both these offences cannot be underestimated.

“We commend the bravery, tenacity and patience they have shown, and it is genuinely satisfying that we have finally been able to justify their faith in the police by getting justice for them and their families.

“We explored all possible lines of enquiry at the time of the 2015 attack and in the months and years that followed, but frustratingly we were unable to identify the suspect. We had a DNA profile but there was no match on the national database.

“Although we had exhausted all avenues, the case was never closed and there was still the hope of a breakthrough one day if the suspect were to be arrested for another offence where his DNA was taken.

“In other investigations in the past, that further offence has often been a victimless low-level crime, but sadly in this case another woman had to suffer at Osayande’s hands for him to be caught. Thankfully, he will now spend a considerable amount of time in prison and be unable to hurt anyone else.

“The successful outcome of this case again shows the value of DNA and expert forensic analysis in support of serious crime investigations."

T/ACC Pat Twiggs, continues: “Our appeal over the attack in 2015 received a high level of media coverage and I want to formally thank the media for the valuable role they played in raising public awareness of the incident.

“While it didn’t help us directly solve the crime, it did maintain public interest for a sustained period of time and encouraged people to come forward with information and suggested suspects, and we are also grateful to all those people.

“Most importantly, I want to reassure women that West Yorkshire Police will always treat sexual offences such as these very seriously and devote all the available skills and techniques of specialist investigators to pursue every opportunity to get justice for victims.

“We want victims of sexual violence to come forward and be confident they will be supported by us and treated with compassion and respect.

“Women and girls should be safe to walk the streets of West Yorkshire free from the fear of violence and harassment, and our recently launched Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy reinforces our commitment to increasing our focus alongside our partner organisations to make the county a safer place.”

In an extract from a Victim Personal Impact statement, Osayande’s victim in 2015 said: “Since you raped me, I try not to live in a world of fear but find myself feeling uneasy when alone, when its dark, and making my way home. Anyone should be able to do this without being subjected to rape.

“I hope the sentencing you receive today reflects justice for not only myself but for the other victim and victims that may come forward.

“You claim to be sorry for your actions now, you were never sorry because if you were you would have come forward, you never would have repeated such an awful crime many years down the line. The only reason you're sorry is because today justice has prevailed and you're sorry you were caught.”