Woman ‘raped by homeless man’ in London park as police charge person with sexual assault

A woman was allegedly raped by a homeless man in a London park, with police charging a man with sex offenses over the incident.

Officers were called at around 5pm on Saturday and alerted to the attack on the woman, which is said to have taken place in Byron Park, north London, on Friday evening.

Anojan Ganesalingham, 40, of no fixed address, was arrested in Harrow before being charged with two counts of rape on Monday.

He was remanded in custody and appeared at Willesden Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Ganesalingham will appear at Harrow Crown Court on June 1.

The Met said the woman is currently being supported by specialist officers.

Officers were called at around 5pm on Saturday and alerted to the attack on the woman, which is said to have taken place in Byron Park, north London, on Friday evening.

Detective Inspector Mitesh Mulji, from the Met’s North West Command Unit, said: ‘We are committed to tackling the scourge of sexual violence against women and girls.

“This was an isolated incident, but we are aware of the concerns this will cause in our local community.

“The woman who bravely reported this incident to us is being supported by specialist officers. We are increasing patrols in Byron Park and the surrounding area in response to this incident and I would urge anyone with concerns to speak to our officers.”