Operation Scorch: Man found guilty for rape and assault in Riverside Park, Southampton

Jozef Janczura, aged 34 of Laburnum Road, Southampton has been found guilty of raping and assaulting an 18-year-old woman in Riverside Park in Southampton on December 2, 2018.

More than a year after this terrible crime happened to a young woman in the evening of Sunday 2 December, the Jury at Southampton Crown court delivered a verdict of guilty today (December 11) on both counts following a three day trial.

The woman reported that whilst she was walking along Woodmill Lane last year, a man unknown to her to grabbed her neck and raped her in Riverside Park, in a wooded area between the skate park and tennis courts.

Janczura will be sentenced on January 16, 2020.

Detective Inspector Roger Wood said: "I would like to commend the woman on her bravery and courage, which has helped secure this verdict against a very dangerous man. I hope this verdict will go some way towards her helping her start to move forward with her life.

 "This investigation shows the capability of Hampshire Constabulary’s Major Crime Team to find a dangerous offender in the community. We, along with support from our colleagues in specialist teams, were determined to find a forensic match and we would have stopped at nothing to find it. The significance of forensic evidence is undeniable, which is why we have been able to bring Janczura to justice today."