An illegal migrant who worked unlawfully as a Deliveroo rider has been jailed for 21 years after raping a semi-conscious woman he dragged off a London street “like a rag doll”.
Salem Rekoub, 28, hauled the woman in her 40s down a side street in Chelsea before attacking her between parked cars in July 2024.
CCTV captured the Algerian national wearing turquoise Deliveroo clothing as he dragged the woman away from public view.
Rekoub was convicted at Isleworth Crown Court of three counts of rape and two counts of assault by penetration, with the judge declaring him a danger to the public.
The victim had been out with friends before becoming unwell on a bus home and collapsing on the pavement after getting off early.
Rekoub, a complete stranger, found her unconscious before pulling her by the arms along a side road and positioning her between two cars.
She drifted in and out of consciousness during the 17-minute ordeal as Rekoub told her: “You need to be quiet.”
The attack left the woman with 33 bruises across her body.
Rekoub then called 999 and fed emergency services what prosecutor Patricia May described as “a pack of lies”.
Salem Rekoub, 28, hauled the woman in her 40s down a side street in Chelsea before attacking her
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MET POLICE
He claimed the woman had simply drunk too much and gave police a false name while presenting himself as a concerned passerby.
Rekoub then followed his victim’s ambulance to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
CCTV showed him grinning as he walked through corridors and peered into triage rooms while attempting to locate the woman.
When challenged by a hospital worker, he said: “I’m here to find someone.”
The attack was uncovered after the victim managed to tell paramedics what had happened, with Rekoub arrested nine days later.
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Rekoub was convicted at Isleworth Crown Court of three counts of rape and two counts of assault by penetration
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PAThe court heard Rekoub had entered Britain in 2023 and did not have the right to work in the UK.
Ms May told the court there had been “incomplete checks to whether he should have been working”.
The woman has since suffered seizures, required repeated hospital treatment and spent time in a mental health treatment facility.
In a victim impact statement, she said: “This has destroyed my life and I am not the same person. I have been left in a constant state of fear.”
She added: “It has killed me and made me feel worthless. I tried to take my own life because I felt like I could not cope.”
Rekoub followed his victim’s ambulance to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital after the attack
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PARekoub’s barrister Brinder Soora told the court he had arrived in Britain on a tourist visa after fleeing violence in Algeria.
The court heard he had previously been a promising footballer who narrowly missed selection for the Algerian national team before a knee injury ended his career.
A Deliveroo spokesman said: “We are appalled by these truly horrific crimes and our thoughts are with the victims and their families.
“This individual was not a verified rider on our platform, but a criminal who abused our systems to gain access illegally.
“We have since significantly strengthened the measures to control who can access our platform – and continue to invest to combat any abuse.”
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