Life sentence for Hertfordshire man who carried out Wembley rape 25 years ago

John Walker targeted 25-year-old woman in 1987 after she left Wembley Park Tube Station

A rapist who attacked a woman in Wembley 25 years ago has been jailed for life after a cold case review threw up compelling DNA evidence.

John Walker, 51, from Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, attacked his 25-year-old victim after she left Wembley Park Tube Station on October 16, 1987 – the evening of the great storm that year.

Two years later, he sexually assaulted a 18-year-old woman in Marlow railway station.

Walker evaded arrest until officers from Thames Valley Police’s Major Crime Review Team (MCRT) reviewed the two attacks and advances in DNA technology pinpointed him as a suspect.

He was arrested and charged last October.

Last week at Oxford Crown Court, he was jailed for life with a minimum tariff of seven-and-a-half years.

He had admitted indecently assaulting the teenager and two counts of indecent assault and rape in connection with his Wembley victim at an earlier court hearing.

Pete Beirne, from MCRT, said: “We are very pleased with the outcome of this case and hope that both of Walker’s victims can now move on.

“This case shows that Thames Valley Police works tirelessly to bring those responsible for serious sexual crimes to justice, whether the offences are historic or current.”