Rapist who lured victims to Finsbury Park after nights out faces jail

A man who raped two women near his home in Finsbury Park after pretending to be helping them on a night out is facing years in jail.

Papis Cante, 36, attacked his first victim, a 22-year-old woman, off Seven Sisters Road in the early hours of July 22 after sharing a taxi with her from Leicester Square.

One month later, he struck again, raping a woman in an alleyway near Finsbury Park station after harassing her on a Tube from Leicester Square.

Cante, of Queen’s Drive, was arrested after a member of the public identified him from a police appeal. He initially denied the offences, but his DNA was linked to both victims and he was swiftly charged with two counts of rape.

He will be sentenced on November 3 at Wood Green Crown Court.

Det Con Daniel Brown, from the Met’s sexual offences unit, said: “Cante was very brazen in the way he approached the women whilst other members of the public were around.

“He was prepared to take the risk, and when members of the public approached him he was able to talk his way out of it by pretending to be helping the women when he was in fact taking them to a place where he felt he would be able to commit the offences. He is a very dangerous offender.”

Anyone who feels they may have been victim to a similar attack but has not reported it can call police on 020 8217 6541 or 101.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or crimestoppers-uk.org.