Keanu Vella, 30, of Maldon Walk appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court on July 11 to be sentenced for rape, false imprisonment and breaching a court order. His sentencing follows an incident on May 10, 2023, where he arranged for a woman offering escort services to visit him at his home. When their agreed appointment time had finished, the 30-year-old was found to have held the victim against her will and raped her at knife-point.
The 30-year-old failed to notify his offender management officer of his address change (Image: Metropolitan Police) The Metropolitan Police were alerted to the incident after a passer-by discovered the victim outside Vella's address. The 30-year-old was arrested and police discovered the registered sex offender had changed his address to the Maldon Walk property without telling his offender management officer. He was charged on May 12, 2023, and remanded in custody to appear in court where he later pleaded guilty to failing to comply with notification requirements.
On March 12, 2024, Vella appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court and pleaded guilty to rape and false imprisonment offences. Det Cons Jessica Stephens, said: “Keanu Vella is a registered sex offender who is a clear danger to women. “He has demonstrated that he is unable to comply with the court ordered notifications that allow him his freedom, and it is right that he will now be in a place where he no longer poses a threat to women and girls.
“I hope that the sentence handed down encourage.