Rapist jailed after officers track social media picture to hotel stay

A rapist has been jailed for 14 years after Met officers used an image on his social media account to identify a hotel where he had stayed.

Hamza Nasir, 22, (07.12.01) of Pembroke Road, Ilford pleaded guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 23 October 2023 to raping a woman and a girl under 16 years of age in two separate incidents. He was sentenced at the same court on 26 April to 14 years’ imprisonment.

On 23 January 2022, Nasir met the adult victim in a car park outside a nightclub in Basildon. Nasir and a group of friends offered to drive the woman to a party, and she got into their car. They drove to an alleyway near to Newbury Park underground station, where Nasir said his car was parked since the victim had indicated that she wished to go home. It was there that Nasir raped the victim, before making off on foot.

A police investigation was launched, which included extensive CCTV analysis among numerous lines of enquiry. Forensic evidence was also obtained, which subsequently proved to be crucial.

On 15 March 2023, Nasir arranged to meet a teenage girl having befriended her on Snapchat. They met at a residential address in Goodmayes where he raped her. The girl managed to run away and call for help.

Although Nasir had not used his real name on his Snapchat profile, he had published an image of himself at a hotel in Ilford, a location which officers recognised. Through further fast-paced enquiries, detectives were able to establish when he had stayed at the hotel, and cross-referencing his Snapchat image with the hotel’s records led to Nasir’s identification.

Nasir was arrested by officers investigating the Goodmayes rape on 16 March 2023. He was then linked to the Newbury Park rape after his DNA was taken in custody.

DC Chloe James said: “Dedicated officers are working around the clock to help victims of sexual offences and to arrest the predatory men who commit these terrible crimes.

“I must thank both victims for supporting the police investigation and applaud their bravery. I am pleased that the strength of evidence that officers had assembled against Nasir meant that he entered guilty pleas, meaning the victims did not have to relive their ordeals in court.

“Women in London, and in particular the Ilford area, are safer with Nasir in prison. Once he has served his lengthy sentence, he will be on the sex offenders register for life.”

Protecting women and girls from violence and predatory men will continue to be a key priority for the Met. We are committed to tackling sexual offenders and improving women and girls’ safety in order to rebuild trust across London. Read the ten-point action plan here which explains how officers will pursue predatory offenders and make spaces safer.

As part of A New Met for London plan, the Met is doing more to build trust and support London’s communities on issues that impact them the most. The Met is putting more people and focus into the teams protecting women and children from violence and going after predatory men who commit those crimes.