Serial rapist who attacked 14-year-old nearly 20 years ago is jailed after DNA breakthrough led to his conviction

 A serial rapist who attacked a 14-year-old nearly 20 years ago has been jailed following a DNA breakthrough which led to his conviction.

Donald Kargbo-Reffell raped his victim in Bedford in March 2006. He is already serving a 12 year sentence for another rape he committed in 1999. 

The 2006 case was reopened as part of Operation Painter, an investigation run by the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit into non-recent sex offences, using new technology and forensic testing.

The court heard that he convinced the victim to go with him to a friend's flat and plied her with alcohol before raping her.

Kargbo-Reffell, 55, was found guilty in February at Luton Crown Court and was sentenced to 19 years in prison on June 6.

The serial rapist is liable to be deported at the end of his sentence and has been put on the sex offenders register for life . 

He is also banned from making contact with any child under the age of 18.

The victim of the attack was praised for her courage by the judge.

In a statement to the court she said: 'His actions have had a massive impact on my life, he has destroyed my mental and physical health.

'Destroying my reputation, the trust I have in other people, relations with family members and partners, stealing the last part of my childhood which I should have been allowed to enjoy as a young teenager, turning into an adult.'

Detective Superintendent Emma Pitts, head of Public Protection at Bedfordshire Police said: 'I am delighted that Kargbo-Reffell has been sentenced for this predatory and calculated attack.

'He knew exactly what he was doing, targeting a vulnerable girl and believing that he had got away with it.

'The way we respond has really progressed in the time since this attack both in terms of improved technology and how we approach this sort of sexual abuse.

'No one deserves to suffer, and I hope this case demonstrates that we will leave no stone unturned in seeking justice for victims.

'I hope it sends a message that we will always continue to support victims, and that when you are ready to report, we are here for you.'