Chiswick Man Jailed for Sexually Assaulting Teenage Girl
Andrii Melnyk traced by police using Oyster card data
Andrii Melnyk. Picture: Surrey Police
January 17, 2024
A 30-year-old man from Chiswick has been jailed for four and a half years after being convicted of two charges of sexual assault.
Andrii Melnyk of Harvard Road was sentenced at Reading Crown Court this Wednesday (17 January) having being found guilty of an attack which took place on 2 April last year.
He followed his 18-year-old victim after she had got off a bus in Staines at around 6am. He then grabbed her by the arm and attempted to pull down her trousers. When she fell over Melynk held her down and sexually assaulted her.
She resisted and managed to fight him off shouting for help. A nearby taxi driver arrived to give her assistance and ring the police while Melynk fled the scene.
Surrey Police trawled through CCTV footage from the bus and managed to find Melynk using the description they had been provided. They then were able to cross reference Oyster card data to identify Melnyk.
A warrant was obtained to search his home and clothing was found matching what he was seen wearing on CCTV. A distinctive pair of jeans had mud stains on the knees. He was subsequently picked out as the perpetrator in an ID parade by the victim, before being charged with the offences and remanded in custody.
Investigating Officer DC Katherine Peters, said, “This was a complex investigation that involved many different lines of enquiries including forensics, intel, witness testimonies and CCTV.
“The survivor was extremely brave and displayed enormous resilience throughout the investigation and court proceedings. Thanks to her, a dangerous man is now off the streets and in prison where he belongs.
“If you have been the victim of sexual assault, we would urge you to report it to us; we will listen to you and will do everything we can to find and bring the perpetrator to justice.”
He will also be on the sexual offenders register for life.
Value Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |
