Appeal for victim-survivors to come forward after rapist convicted

A man who lured a woman to a hotel on the pretence of finding her employment has been found guilty of rape. This follows an investigation demonstrating the Met’s commitment to tackling violence against woman and girls across London.

Gurwinder Singh, 37 (17.12.88) of Kingshill Avenue, Northolt, was convicted at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday, 18 February.

He was found guilty of rape, attempted rape, assault by penetration, two counts of sexual assault and one count of common assault. He will be sentenced at the same court on Wednesday, 15 April.

Detectives believe the scale of Singh’s offending may be much wider and are making a direct appeal for any other victim-survivors to come forward.

The investigation

On 22 June 2025, a woman contacted police and reported she had been raped at a hotel in Paddington.

She told detectives she had been given the contact details of someone who could help her find a job, and began communicating with them via WhatsApp to find out more.

The victim-survivor spoke to someone she thought to be a woman, who said they could secure her shifts as a care worker, as long as she was able to provide her national insurance number and passport details.

She was given an address in Paddington and was told to meet there on the evening of 21 June, where she would be helping look after a sportsman with serious injuries.

On arrival at the station, she was met by a man who said he was a care assistant and would be working alongside her. They travelled together to a hotel, where the man left her in a room and said the patient would arrive soon.

Shortly afterwards, the same man returned to the room claiming he was the ‘sportsman’ and undressed, telling her he needed a massage. She refused to do so and he then became physically violent before assaulting and raping her.

The victim managed to run out of the hotel where two members of the public saw her in distress and helped her into a taxi.

Later that same evening, she received a call from the same person who had arranged the job, telling her the whole incident had been recorded and would ‘go viral’ if she reported it to anyone.

Despite these warnings, she bravely reported the incident to police the following day.

Detectives immediately began an investigation and tracked Singh down to the same hotel on 11 August, where he was arrested.

Police carried out a search of his home and seized nine devices which were forensically examined.

On downloading the data, it quickly became evident that the woman arranging the employment was in fact Singh, and that he had pretended to be a woman to gain the victim’s trust.

The appeal

After months trawling through messages, officers now believe Singh has been in contact with many other women who may have been victim to similar offences.

Investigative work has shown that Singh booked rooms at the same hotel on more than 100 occasions between December 2024 and August 2025, and that he had conversations with many other women pretending he could help find them work.

Officers are working to speak to those who have had contact with Singh on WhatsApp, but are also appealing for others to come forward following Singh’s conviction.

They are particularly keen to hear from women in the Indian community who live in the Hayes or Southall area, as they believe he may have targeted a specific community. However, detectives are keeping an open mind and are appealing to anyone who may have met or spoken to Singh online, or anyone who has any information about his offending.

Detective Constable Lydia Webb, who led the investigation, said: “The victim in this case has shown incredible courage in coming forward and disclosing what happened to her – it is thanks to her bravery that Singh has been convicted and is unable to cause further harm.

“We believe that there may be other women who have been subject to Singh’s crimes and we want to provide reassurance that any reports will be fully investigated and dealt with sensitively and with compassion.

“We recognise that coming forward can be a daunting experience, but would encourage victim-survivors to speak with us so they can get the support and help they very much deserve. All victims of sexual assault are given anonymity for life."

Alternatively, if victim-survivors don’t want to speak to police they can contact independent charities such as Rape Crisis, via their 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line or call them on 0808 500 2222. Specially trained staff are there to listen, answer questions and offer emotional support.

To contact police, call 101 with reference number 3916/16FEB26.