Thirty-three-year-old Brooke Desalanie, an illegal immigrant from Eritrea, was found guilty of raping an elderly man outside a church in northwest London. British authorities described him as a “dangerous offender” who chose a defenseless and vulnerable person as his target.

According to the Daily Mail, the attack took place at around midnight on July 23 last year, outside St John’s Church in Harrow. According to evidence presented in court, the 33-year-old, who is originally from Eritrea, dragged the victim from a bench and moved him to a grassy area behind a fence, where he sexually assaulted him.

The attack lasted approximately 20 minutes and ended after a woman intervened. She noticed what was happening from her window and called the police.

The attack was captured on security camera

A key piece of evidence in the case was footage from a municipal security camera. According to evidence heard at trial, the footage showed cars as well as a double-decker bus passing close to the scene while the attack was taking place.

Prosecutor Simon Shannon told Harrow Crown Court that the footage showed the defendant dragging the victim, who was heavily intoxicated, from the bench toward the grassy area.

The prosecution argued that the 33-year-old temporarily stopped the assault whenever a pedestrian approached or passed by the area.

When police officers arrived at the church, they found Desalanie standing behind the church sign, while the elderly man remained lying on the ground.

He claimed he was trying to help the elderly man

During police questioning, the 33-year-old, who used an interpreter during the trial, initially claimed that he had been trying to help the elderly man because he was drunk. The victim’s identity has not been disclosed for legal reasons.

However, when police showed him the security-camera footage, Desalanie ended the interview, spoke with his lawyer, and subsequently refused to answer any further questions.

His defense argued before the jury that there was insufficient evidence to prove rape and urged them not to have an “instinctive” reaction toward the defendant.

The jurors, however, found him guilty. According to the report, the 33-year-old remained expressionless throughout the proceedings, even when footage of the attack was shown in court.

“He targeted a defenseless and vulnerable elderly man”

Following the conviction, the officer in charge of the investigation described Desalanie as a “dangerous offender,” emphasizing that he “targeted a defenseless, vulnerable elderly man.”

He noted that the immediate response of members of the public was crucial to the arrest.

“Thanks to members of the public who alerted police, he was arrested at the scene, charged the following day, and remanded in custody by order of the court,” he said.

At the same time, police urged anyone who has been the victim of a similar sexual assault to come forward to the authorities, assuring them that they would receive support and that their report would be treated with due care.