Eritrean Man Guilty of Raping Elderly Man Outside London Church

An Eritrean man has been found guilty of raping an elderly man outside a church in north London in a sustained attack that lasted approximately 20 minutes. Bruke Desalagne, 33, was convicted by a jury at Harrow Crown Court for the assault, which occurred shortly before midnight on July 23, 2025, near St. John's Church in Harrow.

The court heard that Desalagne targeted a heavily intoxicated pensioner in his 60s who was sitting on a bench. He dragged the victim behind a hoarding and onto a grass verge, where he carried out the assault. CCTV footage presented during the trial showed Desalagne pausing the attack whenever members of the public walked by before continuing. The incident took place while traffic, including a double-decker bus, passed on a nearby road.

A witness observed part of the assault from her window and contacted the police. She also recorded a portion of the incident on her phone, providing additional footage to investigators alongside the CCTV evidence. Officers responded quickly and arrested Desalagne at the scene. He was charged the following day and remanded in custody.

Prosecutor Simon Shannon told the court that the footage showed Desalagne "dragging the...