The brothers were sentenced at the Old Bailey after being convicted of raping and robbing the women in an attack that saw Ali hold a gun to a woman’s head while an unidentified suspect raped her.
Ali Deen was charged with rape, aiding and abetting rape, robbery and possession of a firearm and sentenced to 30 years while Basiru Deen was charged with rape and robbery and jailed for 20 years. Their trial heard how on Sunday, 19 January, one of the prostitutes made arrangements for a potential client to visit her at a house in Lewisham.
When the woman answered the door she was met with the Deen brothers and a third man, who remains unidentified. She asked the men to leave but one of them brandished a handgun. The woman who answered the door was punched in the face, threatened and ordered to hand over money. She was then raped by Basiru.
A second woman who was in a bedroom was raped by the unidentified suspect whilst Ali Deen held a gun to her head. The victim was also raped by Basiru. Wearing gloves, the suspects then ransacked the property. Basiru and the unidentified suspect then fled the address with stolen cash, laptops and mobile phones, while Ali continued to threaten the women, declaring himself as their “pimp” and threatening to kill them if they failed to comply.
He finally left when the door bell sounded and the victims then raised the alarm. Basiru was soon identified as a suspect and was arrested three days later, while Ali was arrested on 30 January.
‘Vulnerable women’
Acting detective inspector Jon Summers, of the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command, said: “The two women showed immense courage in coming forward and reporting their experiences to the police so that an investigation could be launched. Their bravery was pivotal in seeing their attackers convicted today and I would like to pay tribute to them.
“I cannot rule out that Ali and Basiru Deen may have committed similar crimes of this nature and I hope their convictions today will give anyone who may have been attacked by them, the confidence to contact us or one of the many organisations supporting sex workers we work alongside.
“I believe that one of the reasons the Deen brothers targeted these women was because they thought that they would not report what had happened to them to the police. They believed that these vulnerable women could be targeted for rape and robbery and the police would or could not help them.”
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