Chingford rapist suspect caught: in second offence hunt

A MAN being sought in connection with the kidnap and rape of two women in the East End has been caught in Cheshire – after allegedly committing a repeat offence.

Police began a man hunt for Joseph McCann in connection with the kidnapping of two women, one from a street in Chingford and the other from a street in Edgware. It is understood that both women were raped before they managed to escape and raise the alarm – by which time the kidnapper had driven them to Watford.

Police quickly connected these offences with an incident in Watford itself, a few days earlier, in which a woman had been kidnapped and raped. They managed to trace a CCTV recording taken at a petrol garage and which appears to show the Watford victim in his car.

This sighting was followed by the attempted abduction of two women from a street in Congleton, Cheshire, yesterday evening, Sunday, 5th May. Miraculously, the police spotted the suspect vehicle and gave chase. The vehicle reached a road on the outskirts of Congleton before hitting another car. The driver ran away – with police in pursuit. The women were left shaken up and traumatised, but physically unhurt.

Police warned local residents to lock their doors and stay inside the homes. Officers arrived and scoured the area, with the assistance of a police helicopter (which is reported to have upset some local cows). Police eventually found McCann up a large tree and then paid a waiting game, with negotiators and paramedics on standby. After around three hours up the tree, McCann came down and was arrested in connection with three counts of rape.

More information is now being made public about McCann’s criminal past. It has been alleged that in 2007 he was given an indeterminate sentence for an aggravated burglary in order to protect the public and was then released on licence in early 2017. He was then sentenced to three years in prison for burglary and theft and was released in February this year, half way through the sentence – though he should have been referred to a parole board, rather than being immediately released, because of the earlier sentence.

•STORY UPDATE:
Police have revealed that McCann is being questioned about nine other offences of abduction and/or rape and/or assault, in addition to the three rapes committed in London. The victims of the other attacks include an eleven year old boy and a 71 year old woman.

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