A photographer in London has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for sexually assaulting a former client.
Sritharan Sayanthan, a 42-year-old man from Fitzrovia, was found guilty of two counts of rape and one count of attempted rape after a trial at Hendon Crown Court.
The victim, a woman in her 30s originally from China, had visited Sayanthan’s studio on Brompton Road in May 2022 for professional photographs. She later agreed to meet him for a networking event on July 8, thinking it was part of the process.
The meeting took place at a pub on Warren Street at around 7:40 pm. Sayanthan manipulated the situation by encouraging the victim to consume a large amount of alcohol before taking her to his studio.
At some point during the encounter, the woman lost consciousness and woke up to find herself being sexually assaulted. She was unable to speak or defend herself.
Eventually, she regained consciousness to find Sayanthan redressing her before he escorted her to the tube station.
Detective Sophie Baker, from the Central North Command, praised the victim’s courage and resilience, stating that she was incredibly nervous but managed to provide the court with a detailed account of what happened.
“Our admiration goes to the victim survivor who showed great bravery throughout the case. It can be daunting for victims to describe the incident in court, but she did an incredible job, and I’m personally very proud of her and grateful that she came forward,” says Baker.
Detective Baker also believes that there may be other victims of Sayanthan and urges anyone with information to come forward. She assures that no piece of information is too small and that all victims will be listened to and supported.
During the trial, two additional historical allegations against Sayanthan were presented as character evidence but didn’t have enough evidence to result in an arrest.
To assist in the investigation, Detective Baker encourages anyone with information about Sayanthan or other victims of sexual assault to contact the police in the UK using case number 1852/31JUL22.
Specially trained officers are available to provide assistance and support to ensure justice is served for those who have experienced rape or sexual assault.
