Two brothers who raped and robbed a pair of Lewisham women at gunpoint have been convicted at the Old Bailey.

Ali Deen, 24 of no fixed address and Basiru Deen, 21, from Leicester, along with an accomplice forced their way into the Lewisham flat on January 19.

Basiru Deen had previously made an arrangement to call on one of the women - a sex worker - before the attack took place.

Once inside, one of the men produced a gun and the trio ransacked the property. One of the men punched the woman in the face and threatened her while demanding she hand over money. She was then raped by Basiru Deen.

A second woman who was in a bedroom was raped by the brothers' accomplice whilst Ali Deen held a gun to her head. This woman was then also raped by Basiru Deen.

Basiru Deen and the unknown man then left the flat with cash, laptop computers and mobile telephones.

Ali Deen remained and continued to threaten the women, declaring himself as their "pimp" and threatening to kill them if they failed to comply. He finally left when the door bell sounded and the victims raised the alarm.

Acting Detective Inspector Jon Summers from the Met's Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command  said: "The two women showed immense courage in coming forward and reporting their experiences to the police so that an investigation could be launched. Their bravery was pivotal in seeing their attackers convicted today and I would like to pay tribute to them.

"I cannot rule out that Ali and Basiru Deen may have committed similar crimes of this nature and I hope their convictions today will give anyone who may have been attacked by them, the confidence to contact us or one of the many organisations supporting sex workers we work alongside

"I believe that one of the reasons the Deen brothers targeted these women was because they thought that they would not report what had happened to them to the police. They believed that these vulnerable women could be targeted for rape and robbery and the police would or could not help them.

"They could not be more wrong and I would like to take this opportunity to reassure anyone who has been a victim of rape and have not come forward to do so. Regardless of their circumstances, their chosen career paths or lifestyle, the Met will believe you and we will pursue every offender until they are brought to justice."

Ali Deen had denied two counts of aiding and abetting rape, possession of an imitation firearm and robbery. Basiru Deen had pleaded not guilty to two charges of rape and one of robbery.

The brothers will be sentenced tomorrow (July 9).