Man who raped women and girls to 'teach them a lesson for being out late at night' could be freed from jail

By MATTHEW YOUNG and ELIZABETH HAIGH, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 08:15, 1 August 2026 | Updated: 08:16, 1 August 2026 A man who raped women and a teenage girl to 'teach them a lesson' for being out late at night could be freed from prison next month. Sunny Islam, who told the jury he was a practising Muslim, was handed an indefinite prison sentence for attacking three women and the teenager in a three-month reign of terror in 2010. But he could now be released in September pending the decision of a parole hearing – which, despite an application from one of his victims, will not be held in public because the thought of it had given him 'anxiety'. Islam dragged his victims, which included a 15-year-old girl, off the street at knifepoint, then bound and assaulted them. Police fear he may have attacked many more who have not come forward. New parole board documents show one of his victims applied for his upcoming hearing to be held in public. The application was denied, with one of the reasons given as Islam's claims he had become unwell after hearing of the possibility of facing the public. His solicitor said: 'Since learning that an application has been made for the oral hearing to be held in public, the prisoner has reported a dramatic increase in his anxiety, including sleep disturbance. This could be a potentially de-stabilising effect. 'He is in the process of seeking medical advice in relation to those difficulties.' Sunny Islam was handed an indefinite prison sentence for attacking four women in a three-month reign of terror in 2010 No medical documentation was provided to support this and Islam claimed, via his solicitor, that his current health problems could impact his ability to give 'best evidence' if the hearing was not in private. In denying the victim's application, His Honour Jeremy Roberts KC, on behalf of the Chair of the Parole Board, said: 'His offences are of a particularly repugnant type and the atmosphere in a public hearing is likely to be hostile. 'Although there is no medical evidence I can see no reason to doubt the prisoner's statement to his legal representative of a significant increase in his anxiety when he learned that an application had been made for a public hearing.' He added that discussions about the sensitive nature of the offences in public may be 'very difficult for the prisoner'. Islam, who grew up in a strict Muslim family, was sentenced in 2012 to a minimum of 11 years in prison. With time already served, this minimum term expired in 2021. He had been traced through the number plate of his girlfriend's car after he kidnapped and raped the 15-year-old in September 2010. Islam had grabbed her from behind as she walked home with a friend and bundled her into the car at knifepoint before driving to a secluded spot where he raped her twice – despite her claiming she was only 11 years old. Judge Patricia Lees said at the time: 'You told her you were going to "teach her a lesson", and similar things were said to the other women. 'Those words are a chilling indictment of your very troubling attitude towards all of these victims. 'You seem to observe women out at night as not deserving respect or protection. 'I have no doubt that you were out that night looking for a victim, as you were on each of these occasions.' After his arrest, Islam's DNA was linked with three other attacks near his home in Barking, east London. Woolwich Crown Court heard that on July 8, 2010 he subjected a 20-year-old sex worker to 'his trademark double rape'. During her ordeal he tied her up and when she fought back he repeatedly punched her in the face and stole her wallet. She said: 'He treated me like an animal and made me feel worthless - I thought I was going to die.' A week later he struck again in Forest Gate, this time dragging a 28-year-old woman into his car and forcing her to commit a sex act. She managed to kick out the back window of his car and tried to flag down a passing vehicle as Islam strangled her. The woman eventually managed to escape and rejoin friends, who phoned the police. His fourth victim, also attacked in September, did not come forward until police found the 31-year-old's blood in the back of the car along with a knife he used to threaten his victims and plastic ties he bound them with. She was repeatedly punched in the face until she was bleeding and then tied up and raped twice. Islam, who was 21 at the time of the attacks, was convicted of seven charges of rape, one of sexual assault and one of kidnap. At the time of his sentencing, his teenage victim said in a statement: 'No one will ever understand the flashbacks - they are so real. At night, I lay in my bed and it is like I am there. 'It is like a screen in my mind forcing me to relive that night again and again. 'People will say time will heal, but I think time has helped me accept the truth - that I will never escape what has happened to me.' Judge Lees said at the time: 'The harm you have done to your victims is incalculable. 'The nature and extent of these offences drives me to the conclusion that you represent an extreme and continuing danger to women, particularly those out at night.' The newly released parole board documents show that one of his victims wanted the hearing to take place in public because Islam had 'hurt other members of the public (all women or children from different backgrounds) to teach them a lesson'. She added: 'He took advantage of them on the street and he could hurt other women or children. 'I think it is in the public's interest and right to know how the justice system has dealt with this and how they will continue to deal with this case and other cases in the future'. As well as his concerns about Islam's supposed anxiety, Judge Roberts decided the hearing should be held in private because of the distress a public hearing could cause to the three victims, whose views on the process were unknown. He added in his conclusion: 'This decision will obviously disappoint the applicant but it will be open to her, if she now wishes, to apply to the Panel Chair for permission to attend a private hearing and/or to apply to see a summary of the panel's decision.'