Real CSI investigators catch suspect who attacked a teenage girl by identifying his Adidas jacket in CCTV and finding ‘rape’ and ‘abduct’ searches on his mobile phone
- The Real CSI follow Northumbria Police to solve the case of the rape victim
- The crime scene is centered around a teenage girl who raped by a stranger
- The team quickly use CCTV and the sex offenders register to identify a suspect
- Aftab Ahmed, 31, from Newcastle, was arrested on suspicion of rape in the show
- Arrested when Adidas jacket was identified on CCTV and by the victim
A rape suspect is caught after he wore an Adidas jacket which was identified on CCTV and his phone found multiple searches for ‘rape’ and ‘abduct’.
Aftab Ahmed, 31, from Newcastle, was arrested on suspicion of rape in tonight BBC 2 show Forensics: The Real CSI.
The show follows Northumbria Police, in the last episode of the BBC2 documentary, as they receive a 999 call from a grandmother revealing that her seventeen-year-old grand daughter has been raped by a stranger in a park.
The team quickly use CCTV and the sex offenders register to identify a man who had been accused of a similar offence just a month before.
Finding Aftab at his place of work they arrest him, but only have twenty four hours to get enough information to charge him for the rape.
Aftab Ahmed, 31, from Newcastle, was arrested on suspicion of rape in tonight BBC 2 show Forensics: The Real CSI
The team quickly use CCTV and the sex offenders register to identify a man who had been accused of a similar offence just a month before. CCTV shows a man with Aftab Ahmed’s build and also his jacket
His jacket is also seen worn by him at his place of work via CCTV which they shop manager released to them
The team first analyse clothes samples in the lab from the victim, but after multiple tests find no sperm heads.
Looking to the suspect DC Laura Hutison, part of the Rape investigation team said: ‘Are we going to get any DNA of the victim on him?
‘We would expect the offender to taken DNA away from the victim – so saliva, blood – every contact leaves a trace.’ But time is ticking and the team reveal that DNA can be lost after 72 hours.
Luckily the team have CCTV footage to go on – which sees a man of his build in the park at night, with an Adidas jacket on, while they also place him at work on CCTV with the same jacket on. Just 11 minutes before the incident he is seen leaving work and heading in the direction of the park.
Police officers work hard to try and get the right evidence to prove that he is the suspect
The police release an appeal for more information for the rape suspect – they have pictures from CCTV in the park of the suspect
His partner reveals that he came home on the same night sweating and out of breath, telling his family he had been out running – but he had never been running before.
Jerry Hewitt from the Digital forensics unit looks into his phone to see if they can gather a timeline
The team also take his phone from him, but the suspect is being coy about the password and says he doesn’t remember it.
Jerry Hewitt, from the Digital forensics unit said: ‘When we see a phone we see evidence – we see a complete record of someone’s activity of the time period we are looking into.
‘They don’t realise how much data is found on a phone – even if they’ve deleted it we can still find it – it would have made an imprint in the memory of the phone.
Finding Aftab at his place of work they arrest him, but only have twenty four hours to get enough information to charge him for the rape
The team look at the route that the suspect may have taken to get to the park then look at where he lives to go and question his neighbours
Doing a sweep of the local area and the bins near his work they find a dustbin bag with his trainer, jeans and also the Adidas jacket he was wearing on the night
But there’s still one thing missing – his clothes. DC Laura Hutison said: ‘The main question is “Where are the clothes he was wearing? We can’t identify him as the person on the CCTV – How do I prove it was him?”‘
‘That could be all with have to prove a DNA link – we need to sexually link these two individuals.’
Sending a team of officers to his house and the surrounding area they find underwear, but no Adidas jacket, that is in the CCTV footage.
His partner reveals that he came home on the same night sweating and out of breath, telling his family he had been out running – but he had never been running before.
The police find the jacket, along with his trainers and jeans which had been hidden in a bin near his work
The team first analyse clothes samples in the lab from the victim, but after multiple tests find no sperm heads
The suspects phone is being analysed and they find that on his web history he has searched details on how the police lift finger prints
The next day his partner reveals that he came home from work early for a shower and to change his clothes.
Doing a sweep of the local area and the bins near his work they find a dustbin bag with his trainer, jeans and also the Adidas jacket he was wearing on the night.
This is enough him to charge him with the offence while the build a case for his trial.
As they haven’t found semen on the victims clothes use a new technology called YSTR analysis- as this will try and pick up on any male DNA. But unfortunately the swabs are negative.
Kirsty Potter, Head of Forensics leads the team when analysing DNA and the suspects and victims clothing
The team carry on analysing the suspects phone and they find that on his web history he’s searched details on how the police lift finger prints.
Hewitt said: ‘He may well of got rid of his real finger prints, but by doing what he is doing he’s left a digital finger print – which is just as damming as the real thing.
The sweep of his phone also found that he searched for rape and abused porn and ‘how to ambush a white girl’.
Unfortunately DNA evidence isn’t as positive – after extensive forensic tests on his boxer shorts they results come back as negative.
The team worry that the evidence isn’t enough to convict him. But surprisingly for the team when he goes to court Ahmed puts in two guilty pleas.
In August last year at Newcastle Crown Court Aftab Ahmed admitted two counts of rape and was jailed for a total of 15 and a half years.
Aftab Ahmed’s trial and conviction
Newcastle Crown Court heard Aftab Ahmed, 31, dragged the 17-year-old victim into bushes and raped her in Nun’s Moor Park on 28 March.
Ahmed admitted two counts of rape and was jailed for a total of 15 and a half years.
Det Ch Insp Shelley Hudson, of Northumbria Police, said at the time : ‘This man is a dangerous offender who has clearly spent time planning the attack.
‘He has carried out some disturbing searches on the internet before going to the park with the intention of carrying out a sexual assault.
‘What followed is truly horrific and no person should have to go through what that girl was made to go through.
‘She has shown immense bravery and courage throughout this case and thanks to her we have able to put a dangerous man behind bars.’
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