‘Compulsive liar’ who targeted sex workers sentenced to almost two decades in prison

A 25-year-old ‘compulsive liar’ who targeted sex workers has been sentenced to almost two decades in prison.

Sajad Jamalvatan, of Mulberry Close, Beaufort Street in Chelsea, was convicted of five counts of rape against two female sex workers between August and October 2019.

He has been sentenced to 19 years imprisonment and five years on license.

The court heard how Central West Basic Command Unit’s Public Protection team undertook an investigation which lasted over a year.

The team drew in assets from across the Met to support the investigation, including specialist detectives and forensic practitioners.

The team also worked to encourage and support one Brazilian victim who had left the country to return to the UK to give evidence.

Detectives obtained and downloaded mobile phone information and combed through hours of CCTV footage.

They also worked with sex worker charity National Ugly Mugs to connect with and support victims, secure substantial evidence and piece together the series of events which linked Jamalvatan to each attack.

The investigation uncovered that Jamalvatan had been using escort websites to contact sex workers and arrange transactional sexual interactions, often requesting them to meet him at his flat in Chelsea.

Once the women were in the flat, Jamalvatan would set about pretending to transfer money to them on his banking app, despite having no intention of paying the women.

The victims would quickly realise they were in danger and try to escape, but were overpowered by him.

If the victims tried to defend themselves Jamalvatan would become violent, covering their mouths with his hands and pinning them down, telling them not to scream.

On one occasion, after subjecting one victim to an attack lasting over an hour, Jamalvatan insisted that he was ‘not a bad person’, and that he had taken Class A drugs which caused him to be violent.

He also insisted that this was the ‘first time’ he had ever committed such an act.

Detective Constable James Drummond from, Central West Public Protection Unit, said: “Jamalvatan is a man who has a very clear victim profile – vulnerable women.

“It was determined at court that Jamalvatan felt the women he targeted were not worthy of his respect, and he sought to undermine their reports of rape by suggesting to police that they were not trustworthy because of their work.

“He also compulsively lied to police throughout this investigation, parading as a straight-laced PhD student who was looking after his auntie and mother.

“This couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Myself and my team have been engrossed in this case for the past year, and have worked obstinately to bring forward the casefile which has ultimately helped to secure this lengthy custodial sentence.

“Jamalvatan is now registered as a sex offender for life, and has a Sexual Harm Prevention Order imposed against him, meaning he is prohibited from any form of contact with sex workers ever again.

“It is clear that Jamalvatan has no comprehension of the severity of the acts he has committed, and the damage, both psychological and physical, which he has inflicted.

“We cannot begin to imagine the pain these women may have to carry for the rest of their lives after being exposed to this man’s atrocious behaviour, but we hope this result will give them some respite.

“We know that it can be incredibly difficult for victims of sexual assault to come forward and explain what has happened to them, that is why we feel there may be more women who have suffered at the hands of this man.

“We are appealing to anyone else who thinks they may have been a victim of Jamalvatan to get in contact with us so that we can offer the support that they are entitled to.

“The Met has specially trained officers and partner charities who can help victims, and detectives who are absolutely devoted to making sure that people like Jamalvatan are prevented from hurting women and girls.”

National Ugly Mugs (NUM) spokesperson said: “We applaud the courage of the victims who came forward in this case and are pleased that we could offer some support in the investigations.

“NUM is the only UK-wide violence prevention and victim support charity for sex workers as few sex workers report harms to police or chose to enter the criminal justice system due the associated risks and discrimination.

“Our mission is to ‘end all forms of violence against sex workers’.

“We honour and celebrate the courage this victim and others and we are here for them to provide support to heal and recover in ways that they choose and safety tools so they can share information to keep each other safe.

Sajad Jamalvatan was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on May 14 2021 after being found guilty at the same court following a 14-day trial.

If you would like to get in touch with NUM, please email admin@uglymugs.org, call on 0161 629 9861 or visit their website: https://uglymugs.org/um/

If you feel that you have been a victim of sexual assault, please contact police on 999 or 101.

You can also contact Crimestoppers UK completely anonymously on their website (crimestoppers-uk.org) or on 0800 555 111.