JOSEPH MCCANN'S HORRIFIC CRIMES IN HARROW AND BEYOND LEAD TO 33 LIFE SENTENCES

In December 2019, the notorious serial rapist Joseph McCann was sentenced to an unprecedented 33 life terms, with a minimum of 30 years to be served before eligibility for parole. The sentencing took place at the Old Bailey, where Mr. Justice Edis delivered a stern judgment and called for a comprehensive, independent investigation into the circumstances that allowed McCann to be released prematurely from prison, only to continue his spree of violence and sexual assault.

Joseph McCann, aged 34 and hailing from Harrow in north-west London, was convicted on Friday of all 37 counts related to a violent and prolonged rampage that spanned from London to Cheshire earlier this year. His crimes included the rape of eight victims, among them a 71-year-old woman and an 11-year-old boy. The assault on the boy and his sister was particularly harrowing, as they were attacked in their own home, witnessing each other’s victimization.

For the remaining four counts, McCann received three sentences of 10 years each, to run concurrently, along with an additional 14-year sentence, also to be served concurrently. His addresses included locations in Aylesbury and Harrow, but it was in Harrow where his criminal activities culminated in a series of violent assaults and abductions.

McCann’s arrest was the result of a police chase that ended with him trapped up a tree after he was caught attempting to assault two 14-year-old girls. The police officers, who interrupted his attack, managed to apprehend him, bringing an end to his violent spree.

Despite the severity of his crimes, McCann did not appear in court for the sentencing hearing, citing a bad back as his reason for absence. The judge, Mr. Justice Edis, addressed him directly through a video link, describing him as a profoundly dangerous individual. Edis stated, “Joseph McCann, you are very dangerous indeed to people who are weaker than you are. Among other things you are a coward, a violent bully and a paedophile … This was a campaign of rape, violence and abduction of a kind which I have never seen or heard of before.”

Several victims, some of whom were present in court, delivered impact statements describing the profound trauma they endured. One victim recounted suffering from flashbacks, nightmares, chronic pain, and fatigue. The court was moved by the bravery of these individuals, and the jury, which had listened to some of the most harrowing evidence in recent British legal history, returned to court after their verdicts to witness the sentencing.

In a rare display of compassion, one juror approached and embraced a victim after the proceedings concluded. The case has sparked widespread calls for an inquiry into how McCann was mistakenly released from prison, which allowed him to commit these heinous acts.

McCann’s criminal history includes a 2008 conviction for burglary armed with a knife, which resulted in an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence. This type of sentence mandated that the Parole Board approve his release. However, after being released, he was convicted again in 2017 for burglary and theft. Despite this, he was not recalled to prison as required under the IPP, but was instead given a new, determinate sentence and released on license midway through his sentence.

The escalation of his crimes began with the abduction and rape of a young woman in Watford on April 21. She identified him to police, leading to a prison recall. However, just four days later, McCann abducted a 25-year-old woman in Walthamstow, subjecting her to a 14-hour rape ordeal. CCTV footage captured him bundling another young woman into his car hours later, as her sister fled screaming. The women managed to escape in Watford after the 25-year-old woman hit McCann over the head with a vodka bottle.

Following these events, the Metropolitan Police circulated CCTV images of McCann in Watford and received a tip-off that led to his identification. On May 5, he tricked his way into a woman’s home in Greater Manchester, where he tied her up and molested her 11- and 17-year-old children. The teenage girl, describing McCann as ‘evil,’ managed to escape through a first-floor window and call police. McCann fled on a child’s bicycle.

On the same day, he committed further assaults, including attacking a 71-year-old churchgoer in Bury after she finished her shopping at Morrisons. He punched her, forced her to drive him to an industrial estate where he raped her orally, and then compelled her to drive until he found a 13-year-old girl, whom he sexually assaulted. McCann also threatened two 14-year-old girls with a machete to force them into his car.

His criminal activities culminated in a police chase, during which he was seen on CCTV buying condoms at a service station. He was later spotted by a patrol car, which pursued him. McCann drove the wrong way on a roundabout, crashed into a Mercedes, and fled on foot, leaving the terrified victims behind. He was eventually located up a tree by a police helicopter and was coaxed down and arrested early on May 6, bringing an end to his violent spree.