On 27 November 2022, Dylan Makepeace, a 24-year-old man from Mile End in Tower Hamlets, east London, perpetrated a series of three brutal sex attacks on women within a span of just 30 minutes. The incidents occurred in residential areas of Bethnal Green and Mile End, highlighting the opportunistic and predatory nature of his crimes. Makepeace targeted lone women as they returned to their homes, following them into private complexes and escalating to physical and sexual violence.
The first attack took place near a residential complex in Bethnal Green. Two women noticed Makepeace behaving suspiciously outside their home before realising he was trailing them into the building, despite having asked for directions to a different floor. Fearing for their safety, one of the women began filming him. Makepeace then assaulted them, pushing them to the floor and pinning them down in a struggle. The women fought back fiercely, with one striking him with her mobile phone, which forced him to flee. Both victims sustained cuts and scratches and promptly reported the incident to the police.
- Makepeace's actions involved assault by beating, as he overpowered the women physically.
- The attack was marked by his invasive following and sudden violence in a supposedly secure residential space.
Merely 30 minutes later, at around 6pm, Makepeace struck again in Mile End. He approached a third woman who was returning home from the gym and followed her into the communal entrance of her apartment block. Sensing danger, she attempted to step aside, hoping he would pass, but Makepeace grabbed her, covered her mouth, and silenced her screams by telling her to 'shut up'. During the ensuing struggle, she tried to defend herself with her keys, but he forced her to the ground, slammed her head against it, inserted his fingers down her throat to stifle her cries, and verbally abused her with nasty names. He then sexually assaulted her by touching her over her clothes. The woman continued to resist, hitting him with her keys until a group of boys on bikes appeared outside, prompting Makepeace to escape. A resident heard her screams, provided aid, and called the police.
The boys on bikes, acting heroically, pursued Makepeace from the scene of the second attack and detained him on the street until officers arrived. Police arrested him immediately and later conducted an identification parade that linked him definitively to the first assault as well. The Metropolitan Police's Central East Safeguarding team, led by Detective Sergeant Michael Dixon, investigated the case, praising the victims' bravery in supporting the probe.
Makepeace appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court, where he pleaded guilty to two counts of assault by beating, one count of sexual assault on a female, intentional strangulation, and section 20 grievous bodily harm. On an unspecified date in 2023, he was sentenced to five years' imprisonment, with an additional three years on licence. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. Detective Sergeant Dixon stated: 'Dylan Makepeace is very clearly a danger to the public and especially lone women. He was opportunistic and violent in his approach. He specifically targeted women as they returned home and entered private residential areas to carry out his attacks.' He added: 'I want to pay tribute to the bravery of these three women. They all showed incredible fortitude as they supported our investigation. I am in no doubt that London is a safer place with Dylan Makepeace behind bars.' This case, reported by MyLondon on 30 November 2023, underscores the rapid response by community members and police in preventing further harm.