A knife-wielding rapist who subjected his victim to an assault so terrifying she risked her life to get away has been jailed for 17-years.

Police fear predatory criminal Atanas Miryanov may have more victims and have appealed to anyone else he may have raped to come forward now he has been caged.

Bulgarian national Atanas Miryanov, 38, lured his victim to his Sutton Common Road bedsit via an online advert appealing for women to come and work at a car wash.

His victim, a 26-year-old Bulgarian woman, met Miryanov, who claimed to be called Georgi, at the bedsit on July 1, 2013.

He told her she would be living at the car wash if her application was successful and said the manager would be attending later so asked her to wait.

She was made to wait for several hours while Miryanov got drunk in front of her. The victim decided to leave but the drunken Miryanov grabbed her, threw her on to a bed and raped her.

In desperation, the woman faked an asthma attack but this only prompted Miryanov to rape her again while he threatened her with a knife.

The victim managed to get to a second floor window and tried to escape but Miryanov attempted to push her through it.

As the half-naked victim clung precariously to a window ledge, passers-by heard her screams and police were called.

Miryanov, who had been in the country for less than a year, was arrested but told police his victim had consented to have sex with him.

He made the same defence of his actions during a trial at Croydon Crown Court but was convicted of rape in November and was jailed for 17 months at the same court this morning.

Detective Sergeant Janet Archibald, of the sexual offences, exploitation and child abuse command, said: "Miryanov subjected the victim in this case to a terrifying sexual assault.

"The victim said she was prepared to risk her own life in order to escape from him and she did this by climbing semi-naked and precariously onto a high window ledge, and fortunately her cries were heard by members of the public.

"I would like to thank those witnesses who assisted this case. The victim of this awful crime has shown incredible bravery throughout this investigation and I wish to thank her for helping the Metropolitan Police Service to bring this dangerous and predatory criminal to justice.

"I also wish to appeal to any other women who may have been attacked by this individual and not yet come forward to do so."

If you have been assaulted by Miryanov you can call police on 101 or the charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

 

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