On the evening of 2 December 2018, Jozef Janczura, a 34-year-old man from Laburnum Road in Southampton, carried out a brutal sexual assault in Riverside Park. While walking alone along Woodmill Lane, an 18-year-old woman was grabbed by the neck by Janczura, an unknown assailant, and dragged into a wooded area between the skate park and tennis courts. There, he raped her in a violent attack that left her traumatised.
The incident was part of what investigators described as premeditated behaviour. CCTV footage captured Janczura earlier that night, around 11:32pm, outside Sainsbury’s Local on Burgess Road. He was seen following an unidentified woman onto Wessex Lane before losing sight of her and doubling back. He then began tailing the victim along Woodmill Lane, leading directly to the assault in the park. The footage, though grainy and lacking a clear facial image, provided crucial leads for the investigation.
Hampshire Constabulary launched Operation Scorch immediately after the victim reported the crime. Specialist officers supported her, and forensic evidence, including DNA from the scene, was fast-tracked for analysis. Initially, the DNA did not match any profiles on the national police database. Detectives then devised an extensive CCTV strategy in consultation with the National Crime Agency, tracing the suspect's movements through the Flowers Estate area. This revealed him on camera three times that evening.
To identify the perpetrator, the Major Crime Team implemented a targeted DNA screening operation, visiting hundreds of addresses in the locality. They sought voluntary DNA samples from males aged 20 to 50 who were not already on the database, focusing on white men over 30 as per witness descriptions. In total, 137 samples were collected without refusal. On 5 March 2019, lab results matched Janczura's DNA to the crime scene profile. He was arrested the following day, 6 March 2019, and charged with rape and assault.
The case proceeded to Southampton Crown Court, where a jury delivered a unanimous guilty verdict on both counts on 11 December 2019. Sentencing occurred on 31 January 2020 before Judge Peter Henry. Addressing Janczura, the judge stated: 'There was clearly planning on your behalf. There is evidence you were hunting for a lone female that night. You knew perfectly well what you were doing was wrong and wicked.' Janczura received 14 years' imprisonment for the rape, plus a six-year extended licence period, and three years concurrent for the assault, totalling a 20-year extended sentence.
Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Roger Wood commended the victim's bravery, noting: 'This was a violent attack against a young woman who was out walking through the Woodmill Lane area of Southampton. Understandably this was an incredibly traumatic ordeal for the victim... I hope this sentence will go some way towards helping her start to move forward with her life.' The investigation highlighted the role of forensic evidence and teamwork in apprehending a dangerous offender, as reported by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.