A serial predator who kidnapped and raped three women and a 15-year-old girl across east London has been recommended for transfer to an open prison, despite parole authorities determining that he remains too dangerous for full release into the community.
Sunny Islam, 38, was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court in 2012 to an indeterminate sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP), with a minimum custodial tariff set at 11 years.
The original criminal proceedings detailed a series of violent abductions carried out across east London in 2010. Islam stalked and seized victims at knifepoint, forcing them into his motor vehicle before transporting them to isolated locations. The court heard he restrained victims using plastic cable ties, subjecting them to severe physical violence and sexual assaults. One woman managed to break free after kicking out a rear passenger window of the moving vehicle. A 15-year-old child victim was raped twice by Islam, despite pleading with him and stating that she was only 11 years old. Metropolitan Police detectives ultimately traced and linked Islam to the attacks through forensic DNA profiling and physical evidence recovered from inside the car.
Sentencing him in 2012, Judge Patricia Lees condemned Islam for the devastating and lasting harm inflicted upon his victims.
Islam’s minimum tariff expired in 2021, accounting for time served on remand, making him legally eligible for periodic review by the Parole Board. At his latest review, held in private after an application for a public hearing was dismissed, the panel formally refused release on licence. The panel determined that proposed community risk management plans were insufficient to safely manage Islam outside custody, highlighting risks including sexual entitlement, violent and controlling sexual behaviour, impulsivity, and difficulties in managing emotional stress.
However, citing his engagement with custodial treatment programmes, the panel—backed by professional recommendations from a psychologist and his supervising probation officer—recommended that Islam be progressed to open prison conditions to test his institutional progress.
A placement in open prison conditions does not equate to release; open establishments operate under lower security where prisoners may eventually be risk-assessed for temporary release licences for specified, restricted activities. The recommendation by the Parole Board is not binding and must be formally reviewed and approved by the Secretary of State for Justice before any physical transfer can proceed.
Under the provisions of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992 and Section 49 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, all victims and complainants connected to sexual offence proceedings are protected by automatic, lifelong statutory anonymity. Publishing, broadcasting, or disseminating any details, names, addresses, educational facilities, or photographs capable of leading to public identification is strictly prohibited under UK law.
Islam stands convicted of:
Seven counts of rape
One count of kidnap
One count of sexual assault
Parole decision details:
Immediate release into the community refused
Progression to open prison conditions recommended to the Ministry of Justice
Mandatory notification requirements on the Sex Offenders Register for life pursuant to the Sexual Offences Act 2003
Indeterminate Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence remains fully active
Image – Anonymous Artist Impression
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