A ‘psychopath’ London rapist, Musaddaq Hoque, has received an uncommon life sentence following a poignant victim impact statement that nearly brought the judge to tears.
Musaddaq Hoque, 37, has been sentenced to a minimum of 14 years and eight months following his conviction on five counts of rape involving two women, as determined by a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court last month.
Judge Ross Cohen exhibited noticeable emotion as one of Hoque’s victims courageously confronted her abuser, who was there via video link from incarceration. I was not only violated. I was irreparably damaged. “The fear, helplessness, and shame persist within me,” she stated, “I can no longer trust others.” I fear allowing someone into my life who may cause me harm once more.
“It deprived me of something that can never be restored.” I trust the judge comprehends that this was not merely a fleeting instance but a lifelong sentence. You exhibit psychopathic traits. A Jekyll and Hyde capable of altering your personality with the mere flip of a switch. It is imperative that you understand that the thought of physically engaging with a lady should never enter your head.
The other victim-survivor recounted Musaddaq Hoque’s ‘persistent emotional, physical, sexual, and financial abuse,’ which resulted in her ‘living on eggshells’ and enduring flashbacks and panic attacks.
Judge Cohen criticised Musaddaq Hoque for preying on a vulnerable divorced woman and her £30,000 savings, stating, “As a Bengali man, you understood the worth of the gold she received as a dowry.”
Musaddaq Hoque, previously residing on St Luke’s Road in Notting Hill, has been incarcerated since 2021 when he was detained in anticipation of a distinct trial at Southwark Crown Court. MyLondon previously reported that the assailant received a 10-year extended sentence for tormenting a woman over 15 years, inflicting cigarette burns and threatening her with acid. Two jurors were unable to achieve a verdict regarding a charge of oral rape.
In June of this year, Musaddaq Hoque reappeared in court, where two additional women testified against him. This time, jurors discerned his deceit, convicted him on charges of rape, grievous bodily harm, threats to kill, and controlling and coercive behaviour.
Musaddaq Hoque’s prior offences encompass attacking and harassing a former female partner, engaging in drug dealing in 2011, intentionally running over a bicycle in 2014, assaulting another female partner in 2018, and the convictions that resulted in his sentencing in 2023.
Judge Cohen had no choice but to impose a Section 285 life sentence, having weighed the severity of the offences, the type of prior conduct, the degree of threat posed, and the availability of alternatives. The judge expressed significant worry that Hoque had raped and assaulted both women while under a suspended sentence for an attack on a previous girlfriend in 2018.
During the trial, jurors were informed that Musaddaq Hoque threatened to: stomp on the pregnant women’s abdomens, push them down the stairs, and conduct coat-hanger abortions. In a notably alarming episode, Musaddaq Hoque thrust a kitchen knife into the victim’s pregnant abdomen and threatened to excise the foetus. Fearing he would act, she seized the knife and inflicted a laceration on her hand.
Regarding Musaddaq Hoque’s prior conduct, the judge stated: “Employing violence.” Intimidating with violence. Exhibiting harsh or dominating behaviour towards women. You aim to assert dominance and oppress women using such methods. You issued severe threats of violence against women using fire, acid, and weapons, stating on a former girlfriend: “You threatened to place a gun in her throat.”
Judge Cohen stated that Hoque had posed a threat to women for over 13 years and would persist in doing so as he upheld his claim of innocence. “Your behaviour towards them has been marked by callous indifference.” You lack awareness of your wrongdoing and have consistently deceived the jury,” he remarked. Judge Cohen determined that an extended sentence was not an appropriate substitute for a life sentence in this instance.
The statement indicates that Hoque will not go before the parole board until he has fulfilled the minimum sentence requirement. Only then will the board determine his readiness for release, and any offence committed while on licence will result in his immediate return to prison for life.
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