In Brent, Met Police specialist sexual offences officers achieved justice for a young American woman, resulting in a man being sentenced to four years and nine months in prison for sexual assault.
Branson Reagan, 28, from San Diego, USA, appeared at Hendon Magistrates Court for a Harrow Crown Court session on Monday, 22 July. He pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual assault and was sentenced the same day.
The incident occurred in Brent in September 2015 when Reagan, studying abroad, visited the woman he knew. During the night, he sexually assaulted her while she was asleep.
The victim reported the crime in July 2020. Specialist officers interviewed her and conducted a thorough investigation, ultimately securing Reagan’s attendance in court after he was granted leave from the United States Navy.
Reagan first appeared at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 15 August 2023 where he was charged with the offences.
Detective Constable Frederick Titchener, part of the Safeguarding Team in north west London who led the investigation, said: “We worked hard to bring justice to a woman who put her trust in the UK to keep her safe while she was studying in London. We admire and thank the enormous courage she had to come forward and we hope it encourages others in similar circumstances to have the same level of bravery to talk to us.
“Tackling violence against women and girls is a key priority across the Met. We are doing more to support communities and people who’ve had their trust damaged, focusing on protecting women and girls from violence and targeting predatory men who commit those crimes.”
Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
He launched Harrow Online in 2010 as a Facebook page sharing local news and information. Since then, it has grown into a trusted source for breaking news, crime, council decisions, planning, transport, business and community stories across the borough.
Harrow Online reaches hundreds of thousands of readers each month and has a social media audience of more than 200,000 followers.
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