Thanks to new forensic techniques, a man was imprisoned for rape in 2006

A “predatory” rapist who was acquitted of assaulting a young girl in 2006 has been sentenced to prison after new forensic techniques were used to secure evidence.

Donald Kargbo-Reffell was sentenced to 19 years in prison at Luton Crown Court after being found guilty of raping a 14-year-old girl in Bedford.

He was first arrested 18 years ago and forensic evidence was secured, but due to the methods used at the time, there was insufficient evidence to bring charges against him.

The 55-year-old, from Princes Street in Bedford, was already serving a 12-year prison sentence for another rape in Bedford in 1999, which was also solved in 2018 using improved scientific techniques.

“Destroyed my mental and physical health”

The case was reopened as part of Operation Painter, a Major Crimes Agency investigation into non-recent sexual offences.

Kargbo-Reffell persuaded the victim to go with him to a friend’s apartment, then gave her alcohol and raped her.

The judge praised the victim for her bravery and in a statement read out in court she said: “His actions have had a massive impact on my life, he has destroyed my mental and physical health.”

“The destruction of my reputation, the trust I have in other people, the relationships I have with family members and partners, the theft of the last part of my childhood that I should have been able to enjoy as a young teenager as I became an adult,” she added.

Det Sup Emma Pitts said it was a “predatory and calculated attack”.

“He knew exactly what he was doing: he was targeting a defenseless girl and thought he could get away with it.

“The way we respond has really evolved since that attack, both in terms of improved technology and the way we deal with this type of sexual abuse.”

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