A man has been sentenced for three sexual assaults aboard buses after being arrested by police ‘Super Recognisers’ at Camden Road station.
Ilhan Karatepe, 56 (23.3.60), of Clarence Way, NW1, appeared at Blackfriars Crown Court today, Friday, 3 June, where he was sentenced for sexually assaulting three women as they travelled on buses.He was sentenced as follows:
Count 1 – Three months’ imprisonment.
Count 2 – One month imprisonment.
Count 3 – Three months’ imprisonment.
Sentences to run concurrently, suspended for 12 months.
In addition Karatepe will be subject to a 30 day rehabilitation order, a Sexual Harm Prevention order with the condition that he cannot travel on public transport (excluding taxis) without a responsible adult and seven years on the Sex Offenders Register.
The incidents, against female victims aged 15, 16 and 21 years, were investigated by officers from the Met’s Road and Transport Policing Command.
Incident 1 took place on the lower deck of a route 253 bus in the area of Seven Sisters Road on Friday, 6 June 2014. Karatepe had sat down next to the 15-year-old victim and began to touch her. The victim left the bus and reported the incident to police.
Incident 2 occurred on Wednesday, 29 October 2014, on the upper deck of a 259 route bus, in the White Hart Lane area. Karatepe sat by a 21-year-old woman and began to touch her. When she moved away from him to the lower deck of the bus, he followed and continued to touch her. When the victim left the bus Karatepe followed her until she asked a passer by for help. Karatepe left the scene and the victim reported the incident to police.
Incident 3 – On Tuesday, 17 March 2015, on the lower deck of a route 168 bus in the area of Upper Woburn Place, Camden, Karatepe sat down next to a 16-year-old girl and began to touch her. When she protested and moved to a different part of the bus, he alighted. The victim informed the bus driver who in turn called police.
Despite having CCTV images of the suspect and making extensive enquires, officers could not identify who he was. The case was referred to the Met’s Super Recogniser Unit, who investigate cold cases with imagery.
Following an investigation, PC Alison Young and DS Eliot Porritt of the Super Recogniser Unit patrolled the area where they concluded that Karatepe was most likely to be and spotted him as he walked into Camden Road station where he appeared to be picking up a newspaper.
Karatepe, a clerical worker from Camden, was arrested immediately and taken into custody.
He appeared at Blackfriars Crown Court on 28 April where he pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault and was bailed to appear for sentencing at the same court today.
PC James Eccleston investigating said: “Karatepe is a prolific offender who has caused distress to at least three women who were innocently going about their day.
“I would like to thank the victims for their bravery in coming forward and for their assistance with the investigation.
“Working with our partners at British Transport Police we are determined to tackle sexual offences aboard the transport network and encourage anyone who has been a victim of this type of offence to contact police without delay.”
Detective Sergeant Eliot Porritt of the Met’s Super Recognisers said: “This was a classic example of good police work with a modern twist; making use of the abilities of Super Recognisers and current technology to identify and apprehend a suspect who had been elusive for some time. PC Alison Young and I had an image in our mind of a suspect we had never met, yet Alison was able to make a crucial split second recognition in a busy London station at rush hour within a limited window of opportunity.
“We put ourselves in the right place at the right time and, as a professional detective, it was a very satisfying moment to arrest Karatepe for a then unsolved series of crimes.
“This conviction also highlights the work undertaken by Dr Josh Davis of Greenwich University who developed the tests that identified PC Young as a Super Recogniser.”
Anyone who believes that they have been a victim of Ilhan Karatepe should contact the Met’s Roads and Transport Policing Command by dialing 101.
