Illegal migrant Deliveroo rider raped woman he dragged off street ‘like ragdoll’ then stalked hospital to find her again

AN Algerian migrant ­working illegally as a ­Deliveroo driver has been jailed for 21 years for raping a semi-conscious woman he dragged off a street “like a rag doll”. Salem Rekoub, 28, was seen on CCTV smirking after following his victim’s ambulance to hospital aiming to “get to the woman again”. Hospital CCTV of smirking Salem Rekoub in corridor as he searches for his victim Fiend Rekoub, who had entered the UK in 2023, took advantage after spotting the woman passed out beside a bus-stop Credit: Metropolitan Police The trial judge told Rekoub he was a public danger. It came after his victim, in her 40s, said the horrific ordeal had destroyed her life and left her “in a constant state of fear”. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Rekoub, who had entered the UK in 2023, took advantage after spotting the woman passed out beside a bus stop. Wearing his turquoise hi-vis Deliveroo gear, he dragged her down a side road by her arms to a gap between cars where he repeatedly raped his “trapped” victim. She drifted in and out of consciousness in the furious assault, during which he told her: “You need to be quiet”, a jury heard. The woman, who was left with 33 bruises across her body, feared for her life at Rekoub’s hands. After subjecting the woman to 17 minutes of horror, Rekoub told 999 operators a “pack of lies” to try to cover up the incident in Chelsea, South West London. He told a paramedic his victim had had “too much to drink” and, under a false name, he told police he was a concerned passerby. Most read in The Sun The victim was followed by the vile rapist to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Credit: Alamy Illegal immigrant Rekoub was spotted pacing back and forth as he attempted to ‘get to the woman again’ It meant he was free to tail the ambulance to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital where footage obtained by The Sun shows him searching for the woman. The CCTV, viewed by jurors, revealed grinning Rekoub strolling along corridors and scanning triage rooms in an emergency unit. He was spotted pacing back and forth as he attempted to “get to the woman again”. After being confronted by a hospital worker, he said: “I’m here to find someone.” The woman later managed to whisper to paramedics what had happened. Rekoub was arrested by police nine days later, Isleworth crown court was told. Jurors were told that the victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, has been in and out of hospital suffering with seizures since her ordeal and spent time in a mental health treatment centre. It was said that she has been in “an almost catatonic state” for more than two years since her nightmare in July 2024. In a victim impact statement, she said: “This has destroyed my life and I am not the same person. “It has killed me and made me feel worthless. I tried to take my own life because I felt like I could not cope. Wearing his turquoise hi-vis Deliveroo gear, he dragged the victim down a side road by her arms to a gap between cars where he repeatedly raped her The Home Office said foreign national offenders convicted of serious crimes will be deported at the earliest opportunity, with nearly 12,000 removed since the last election Credit: Reuters “I have been left in a constant state of fear. I couldn’t escape because he told me to be quiet and had his hands around my throat. “I have been left completely numb and disassociated. I have begun to have seizures and my speech has become slurred.” In a statement read by his lawyer, Rekoub had claimed he was “eager to find a relationship again”. His defence had left her “shaking in fear” during the trial, it was said — at one point forcing her to leave the courtroom. She had said of his claims: “It has made me question myself and added to my trauma.” During sentencing, prosecutor Patricia May said the context of the case was “very upsetting”. She explained: “The victim had been out with friends having a nice evening. She had to get off a bus when she was travelling home because she felt unwell. “She passed out on the pavement and it is there when the defendant, a complete stranger, found her.” She added: “He leant his Deliveroo bike against a wall and dragged her down a side road which was away from the public. While she was there he pulled her between two cars, and as she was shifting in and out of consciousness he committed all the offences against her.” The prosecutor continued: “There were incomplete checks to whether he should have been working. “He was arrested days later having lied to paramedics and police about what really happened.” Rekoub was found guilty of three counts of rape, and two counts of assaulting a female by penetration. Rekoub’s barrister, Brinder Soora, told the court that he had arrived in Britain on a tourist visa to escape violence in Algeria, and had been a top footballer who nearly played for the national team but suffered a knee injury.