Rapist caught by new techniques for a second time

A serial rapist has been sentenced to 19 years in prison after being convicted for a second time by evidence obtained using new forensic techniques.

Donald Kargbo-Reffell raped his 14-year-old victim in Bedford in March 2006. He was arrested at the time and forensic evidence taken, but with the techniques of the time it was not sufficient to charge him.

The case was re-opened as part of Operation Painter, an investigation run by the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit into non-recent sex offences, using new technology and forensic testing.

As a result Kargbo-Reffell was found guilty of rape in February by a jury at Luton Crown Court.

Kargbo-Reffell, who was 37 at the time of the offence is already serving a 12-year sentence for a rape he committed in 1999 also in Bedford, which was also solved using improved scientific techniques.

DNA samples had been recovered but, at the time, it was not possible to identify the offender.

But when the case was reviewed using the new techniques, Kargbo-Reffell was convicted. He was jailed in 2018.

In the current case, Kargbo-Reffell convinced the victim to go with him to a friend’s flat. He plied her with alcohol before raping her.

Yesterday (Thursday) Kargbo-Reffell, 55, was sentenced to 19 years in prison. He is liable to be deported at the end of his sentence. He was put on the Sex Offenders Register for life and is banned from making contact with any child under the age of 18.

The victim of the attack was praised for her courage by the judge. In a statement to the court she had said: “His actions have had a massive impact on my life, he has destroyed my mental and physical health.

“Destroying my reputation, the trust I have in other people, relations with family members and partners, stealing the last part of my childhood which I should have been allowed to enjoy as a young teenager, turning into an adult.”

Detective Superintendent Emma Pitts, head of Public Protection at Bedfordshire Police said: “I am delighted that Kargbo-Reffell has been sentenced for this predatory and calculated attack.

“He knew exactly what he was doing, targeting a vulnerable girl and believing that he had got away with it.

“The way we respond has really progressed in the time since this attack both in terms of improved technology and how we approach this sort of sexual abuse.

“No one deserves to suffer, and I hope this case demonstrates that we will leave no stone unturned in seeking justice for victims.

“I hope it sends a message that we will always continue to support victims, and that when you are ready to report, we are here for you.”

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