Sunny Islam, now 37, was handed an indefinite sentence in 2012 after being linked to a series of violent sex attacks in east London. He armed himself with a knife and plastic cable ties, dragging women from the street, tying them up and beating them.
Islam attacked four women over a three-month period in 2010, and police fear there may be more victims who have never come forward. He is now lobbying for freedom at an upcoming Parole Board hearing, according to The Sun.
Victim's request for public hearing rejected
The hearing will be held behind closed doors despite a victim's application for public proceedings. The Parole Board accepted arguments from Islam's lawyer that the prisoner suffered "anxiety" at the thought of facing the public.
Islam's solicitor said in written submissions: "Since learning that an application has been made for the oral hearing to be held in public, the prisoner has reported a dramatic increase in his anxiety, including sleep disturbance. This could be a potentially de-stabilising effect. He is in the process of seeking medical advice in relation to those difficulties; however, at this stage, no documentary medical evidence is available due to the short space of time elapsed. While this factor is not relied upon as determinative, it is relevant to the Board’s assessment of the likely impact of a public hearing on [the prisoner’s] ability to participate effectively and give his best evidence."
Although no medical evidence was given in support of these arguments, Judge Jeremy Roberts ruled against public proceedings, noting both Islam's "anxiety" and the potential impact on other victims whose thoughts are not known on the matter.
Attacks that led to conviction
Islam, who said he came from a devout Muslim background, was 21 when he launched the attacks in 2010. Police tracked him down after his third assault in September of that year, when he kidnapped a 15-year-old girl off the street. She pleaded with him, saying she was only 11, but Islam told her he would "teach her a lesson" for being out alone at night and drove her to an isolated spot where he raped her.
In a victim impact statement, the girl said: "No one will ever understand the flashbacks, they are so real, at night I lay in my bed and it is like I am there. It is like a screen in my mind forcing me to relive that night again and again. People will say time will heal, but I think time has helped me accept the truth — that I will never escape what happened."
At Islam's sentencing, Judge Patricia Lees told him: "You told her you were going to ‘teach her a lesson’... Those words are a chilling indictment of your very troubling attitude towards all of these victims. You seem to observe women out at night as not deserving respect or protection. The harm you have done to your victims is incalculable."
Detectives were able to link Islam's registration plate to an earlier sex attack in July 2010, when he beat a 20-year-old sex worker and subjected her to a double rape. That same month, he attacked a 28-year-old woman in Forest Gate, kidnapping, strangling and sexually assaulting her.
When officers raided Islam's home in Barking, blood found in his car was traced to a fourth and final victim, a 31-year-old woman who had been tied up, severely beaten and raped.
At Woolwich Crown Court in 2012, Islam was convicted of seven counts of rape, one count of sexual assault and one count of imprisonment. He was told he would serve a minimum term of 11 years, which expired in 2021 due to time already served.
The Parole Board has been approached for comment.
