Serial sex offender who raped 11-year-old gets life

A serial sex offender was given 12 life sentences yesterday for a catalogue of attacks carried out at knifepoint, including the rape of an 11-year-old girl.

But five teenage victims of Alan Payne, 30, dubbed the Greenford Rapist, cried out from a public gallery at the Old Bailey as sentence was passed. One of the victims shouted and stormed out of the court; another was led out of the public gallery in tears.

Payne was found guilty of 17 offences in which he attacked five girls, aged between 11 and 18, during two weeks last summer in west London.

He approached the girls and threatened them at knifepoint before subjecting them to what police described as "sickening" attacks.

Payne was convicted of two rapes, two attempted rapes, kidnapping, indecency and robbery. He was also sentenced to five concurrent sentences of eight years for other offences including sexual assault.

Judge Richard Hawkins QC told him: "You have been convicted by the jury of 17 counts ­ all of them are sexual offences on young women. I have formed the opinion that you are plainly very dangerous and likely to commit, if released, more offences in the future."