Two brothers who kidnapped a man at gunpoint for £30,000, a coach driver who raped a 12-year-old girl, and a drug dealer selling the "fattest bags" are among the south London criminals jailed in September 2026. Here are the names and faces of the men sentenced to prison so far this month.
Brothers Jailed for Kidnap and Ransom Demand
Bilal Rakik, 28, and Zachariya Rakik, 26, from Beckenham, kidnapped a man in his own car after luring him to Lewisham High Street with a fake dating profile. The brothers targeted the stranger they believed was wealthy and threatened to kill him at sunrise unless he paid £30,000. When the victim said he had no money, the brothers unlocked his phone and called four friends to demand the ransom.
The brothers told one friend: "Listen right now, if the morning light shines on me, it's the last. Don't even call." To another friend they said: "When the dim light shines, just know that don't try to call. When the dim light starts shining, just think of us. It's finished." After five hours of being forced to drive around south-east London, the hostage was dragged to safety when armed police stormed the car in Ladywell.
Bilal and Zachariya initially claimed criminals had forced them into the kidnapping plot, but they later abandoned that defence. The brothers were handed prison terms of more than seven years.
Attempted Rape in Canary Wharf Underpass
Syed Imam, 30, of Croydon Road in Beddington, tried to rape a woman in an underpass in Canary Wharf. The incident took place in the early hours of March 14, when security staff at Canary Wharf spotted Imam acting suspiciously near the train station underpass. They intervened after witnessing him forcibly assaulting a vulnerable woman, detained him at the scene, and alerted police.
Imam was found guilty of attempted rape following a four-day trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court and sentenced to six years in prison. Detective Constable Madeleine Powell said: "This case shows the important role everyone has to play in tackling violence against women and girls. If security staff at Canary Wharf had not bravely intervened, this violent offender could still be walking our streets, and the victim may have suffered even more harm than she already has. Everyone has a part to play in the joint action needed to protect women and girls and report concerning behaviour when they see it – you will be listened to and we will take action."
Bexley Child Rapist's Sentence Extended
Child rapist Liam Ross, 30, from Dartford, had his lenient prison sentence for sex offences against girls extended. The coach driver was convicted of ten sex offences against girls in Bexley, including the rape of a 12-year-old. Ross claimed he believed the girl was old enough to consent, but rape of a child under 13 is a strict liability offence meaning the defendant's belief about the child's age or her consent does not factor in.
He was initially jailed for 12 years, but his sentence was increased to 15 years with a one-year extended licence period after intervention by the Attorney General. Ellie Reeves MP said: "Liam Ross is a sexual predator who exploited and raped two young girls. I welcome the court's decision to increase his sentence following my referral." At his first sentencing hearing, Judge Ruth Downing said she accepted Ross' claim that he believed the girl was older, stating that she thought the same when she saw the victim. Judge Downing described it as a "difficult and rather disturbing" case, as Ross had pursued "lawful but inappropriate" relationships with schoolgirls who were over the age of consent.
He had received a letter from the police warning that his relationship with one 16-year-old girl put him at risk of criminal behaviour, but he continued undeterred. Whilst the sexual relationship with the 16-year-old girl had been consensual at one point, Judge Downing said, Ross later raped and sexually assaulted her when she was unconscious after consuming alcohol. When police arrested Ross, indecent images of children and video recordings of some of the offences committed May 2025 were found on his mobile phone. Ross had been a coach driver who frequently drove schoolchildren – though his offending was said to have no connection to his work.
Attack on Transgender Couple and Drug Dealer Jailed
John Mongan, 24, of Noak Hill in Romford, was jailed for a brutal attack on a transgender couple in Eltham. Mongan attacked two strangers on Baring Road on April 18. Woolwich Crown Court heard that the incident began when Mongan shouted at a husband and wife, who are both transgender, from the passenger seat of a van. The woman responded by raising her middle finger at Mongan, who shot back with verbal abuse. Her husband then took a photo of the van, prompting Mongan to threaten him to delete the photo.
Mongan then repeatedly punched him before turning his attack on the woman as she intervened, Judge Christopher Grout said. He bit the woman and tried to pull her dress down before he eventually ran away, the court heard. During the attack, Mongan threatened that he had machetes in the van. Both victims were taken to hospital with significant injuries. In a victim impact statement, the woman said: "This isn't the first time I've been harassed in the street in the middle of the day, it feels like it's getting worse." She said she now fears for her safety, all because she "dared to notice Mongan's disgusting behaviour". Her husband said: "I thought he was going to kill us both." Mongan was sentenced to three years in prison after he admitted two charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Navid Jamshidi, 33, from Eltham, was busted after texts advertising the "fattest packets" of cocaine were found on his phone during a stop and search. He was not long out of prison when officers stopped his Land Rover in St Paul's Cray on June 19. Inside the car, officers found an empty snap bag, £300 in cash and multiple phones. One of the phones was revealed to be the 'Nige' drugs line, which had been used to sell cocaine across south east London. "The defendant looked nervous when one of the phones was ringing with someone asking to speak to Nige," prosecutor John Clifford said. "On the phone there were bulk text messages sent between July 2025 and June this year, advertising cocaine." One text read: "New banging shine. Best one about. Fattest packets from early to late. Doing quick deliveries. Back up and running, Nigel."
Investigators were able to establish that Jamshidi was not just a runner, he was Nigel himself. The defendant pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine and possession of criminal property, which related to a further £1,300 of cash found at his home. Jamshidi was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison.
