West Midlands Police officers apprehended sex offender Troy Tomlin, who sexually assaulted two women at gunpoint. Troy Tomlin identified the women subsequent to establishing communication through an escort website.
Troy Tomlin, a 27-year-old from Portland Road, Birmingham, scheduled a meeting with one of the ladies in a flat near the city centre shortly before midnight on June 1 of the previous year after sending her a text message.
He arrived using a facial covering, asserting it was to safeguard his identity as he had come directly from work.
Troy Tomlin subsequently brandished what seemed to be a firearm and enquired about the location of the woman’s money.
She provided some cash before Troy Tomlin entered another room, where he encountered a friend of the woman.
She also provided him with some money before to his assault on both women. At one moment, he aimed the firearm at one of the women’s heads while insisting on viewing their identification cards.
Troy Tomlin threatened the women, stating he would visit their residences and murder them if anyone reported to the authorities.
Both women successfully escaped the premises and alerted authorities prior to Troy Tomlin’s departure from the site.
Troy Tomlin was traced using mobile phone data and was arrested two days later by officers from the West Midlands Police dog unit. He failed to stop for officers as he drove his white Volvo in Birmingham.
On Monday at Birmingham Crown Court he was jailed for life with a minimum of 17 years after being found guilty of four rapes, two counts of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, robbery, possession of a knife and possession of cannabis.
Det Insp Matt Owen, from the West Midlands Police Public Protection Unit, said: “This was an horrific and sustained attack on two women, causing both real fear and a significant and lasting impact.
“Troy Tomlin tried to lie his way out of this by suggesting that the sex had been consensual, but they jury was able to see through that.”
Making the West Midlands a safer place for women and girls is our priority, whether it is by disrupting predatory behaviour during the night time economy and implementing safer walking routes; supporting victims of domestic abuse and changing perpetrator behaviour; or by working to eliminate sexism and misogyny from the work place.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.