'High Five' rapists jailed for sickening nightclub attack
Two Italian men, who were caught on CCTV giving each other a 'high-five', after raping a 23-year-old woman in a Soho nightclub, have been jailed for seven and a half years.
Ferdinando Orlando, 25, and Lorenzo Costanzo, 26, carried out the attack in the maintenance room of the Toy Room club in central London on February 26 2017.
CCTV captured the men high-fiving and hugging each other afterwards, while their 23-year-old victim lay abandoned in the club's toilets in extreme pain.
The victim, who had been drunk at the time of the attack, had no memory of the incident, but the police pursued the case after gathering evidence of the attack.
It is believed to be the first time a rape conviction has been secured without a clear allegation having been made.
Police said the two men escaped justice for more than a year after the attack, by returning to Italy, but were eventually caught when Costanzo returned to the UK to watch an Arsenal versus Milan football match.
In a victim impact statement, the woman said the rape had left her in "constant fear" and unable to relax or enjoy drinking with friends when she goes out.
She added: "When I found out more than one man was involved I felt violently ill with the thought that two men did something this horrible ... to me."
The victim had been celebrating a friend’s birthday in London where she enjoyed a bottomless brunch before heading to the Toy Room where she only remembers having a few drinks on February 25, 2017.
The Italian nationals, who were visiting London for an English language course, were said to have met the victim just minutes before the attack.
CCTV showed them taking it in turns to kiss the victim on the dance floor before escorting her to a cupboard.
Police and prosecutors argued the woman's condition meant she was unable to consent to sex with the men.
About 16 minutes later the three re-emerged, with the defendants rearranging the victim's clothing before they walk her to the female toilets and abandon her.
The two men then ran outside and high-fived each other, before watching back footage of the attack on a mobile phone.
The victim was found an hour later by a security guard in the toilet with severe injuries which required surgery. She lost 300ml of blood in the brutal attack.
Detective Sergeant Rebecca Woodsford from Scotland Yard said: “The CCTV evidence was key in this case. The high fiving and hugging simply shows that what they thought of what they had done, The proud celebratory behaviour really demonstrates exactly how they felt about it.
"I thought it was really shocking footage. I have not seen footage like that before but I really think it demonstrates the thought process and how they felt about the whole incident.”
Ms Woodsford said it was the first time she has had seen a conviction for a sexual crime case without a “clear allegation.”
She said: “It is the first time I have seen a prosecution result in a conviction in a case where there is no clear allegation in relation to sexual crime.
“It proves our commitment to victims of rape and people who believe they are victims of rape and that we will investigate what has happened.
“One of the big messages we want to give is that if you do not know, we will still try and help.”
