Serial rapist sentenced to life in prison

An investigation led by specialist detectives at the Metropolitan Police has resulted in a 22-year-old man who raped two teenage girls and a woman being given a life sentence.

Levi Bancroft, 22, (11.06.02) of Hanson Close, West Drayton, was sentenced on Friday, 30 May at Southwark Crown Court for four counts of rape involving three victims.

Bancroft was convicted on Tuesday, 18 March, following a three-week trial at the same court.

The court heard how over a period of five years, Bancroft raped three women, targeting them as they were alone and vulnerable. He was also convicted of actual bodily harm, after he physically assaulted one of the women.

He was arrested and charged following a Met investigation, working closely with Thames Valley Police, where officers used CCTV and DNA evidence to put Bancroft at the scene of the crimes.

Detective Constable Lloyd Leech, who led the Met’s investigation, said:

“A serial sexual offender has been taken off the streets, protecting women across the country.

“Bancroft repeatedly targeted vulnerable women and followed a sinister pattern of behaviour. His abhorrent offending would have very likely continued if it wasn’t for this arrest and conviction.

“I commend the bravery of the three victims to come forward and report what had happened to them. Justice has now been served.”

The first allegation against Bancroft was made in 2018, but subsequently closed due to the victim not feeling able to proceed. A second report was made in 2020 and the case went to trial.

During this trial, a third report from Thames Valley Police came to light and the trial was adjourned as the CPS worked to join the three cases together, after the first victim was willing to come forward again.

Detectives were able to identify Bancroft as the suspect in the first and second case through DNA samples collected during medical examinations of the victims. CCTV also placed him at the scene of the second and third case, as well as data from his electronic tag from a previous knife possession offence.

He repeatedly preyed on women who were alone. In September 2018, Bancroft, then 16-years-old, took a 15-year-old into a stairwell of a block of flats in Westminster in the late evening. He prevented her from leaving the block, forced her down in the stairwell and raped her.

Bancroft’s pattern of offending included using threats of violence to instil fear into his victims, going on to rape them. This was shown again in January 2020, when Bancroft, then 17-years-old, followed a 15-year-old girl late at night off a tube at Royal Oak Underground Station. He forced her into a nearby stairwell of a block of flats and raped her.

In November 2023, Bancroft raped a transgender female in Oxford. After approaching her in the street, Bancroft followed her into a cul-de-sac. Bancroft then raped her behind a parked car. As the victim ran away after the attack, Bancroft chased her while shouting transphobic and threatening comments. When he was able to catch up with her, he went on to violently assault her. The victim managed run to a local venue to seek shelter where the police were called.

Detective Constable Rebekah Routh, who led the Thames Valley investigation, added:

“I wish to commend all three victims in this case for their immense bravery in coming forward and having trust in both the Metropolitan Police and Thames Valley police to bring this dangerous individual to justice.”

Under the New Met for London Plan, our mission is to deliver More Trust, Less Crime and High Standards. Central to this is transforming how we prevent harm and tackle violence against women and girls, most often committed by predatory men like Bancroft.