A man who raped and threatened to kill a woman during a "brutal" attack in Carshalton last summer has been jailed.

Russell Stowell, 41, of Rivers Gardens in Carshalton, was sentenced to a total of 11 years’ imprisonment, with an extended license of four years, at Croydon Crown Court yesterday (Thursday, May 13) after he was found guilty of a number of heinous crimes including rape, grievous bodily harm with intent, wounding with intent and making threats to kill.

Stowell pleaded not guilty to all charges against him but was found guilty on all counts in December 17 last year.

During the trial, the court heard distressing details about the attack Stowell perpetrated against his victim, who was found suffering serious injuries at an address in Carshalton by paramedics after midnight on June 1, 2020.

"It was established that between the hours of 23:00-00:26, Stowell had subjected the woman to a brutal and sustained attack, raping her while making threats to kill.

"Despite the woman’s repeated pleas for him to stop, Stowell continued to carry out a frenzied attack, using such force that the victim lost consciousness several times," a Met Police statement describing the case read.

"The woman sustained significant facial injuries as a result of the extreme violence inflicted by Stowell.

"While officers were obtaining a statement from her at the hospital, police received a call from an off duty police officer regarding a man seen smashing a car window on The Causeway, Carshalton.

"Officers attended the location where they found a male in a highly aggravated state, covered in blood," it continued, referencing Stowell.

He was arrested the same day, June first, around 2.45am.

Detective Sergeant Laura Thomas, from the Met’s South Area Public Protection Unit, praised the bravery of Stowell's victim following the attack.

"Firstly, I’d like to praise the courage of the victim. Without her continued trust and support this case may have had a very different outcome," she said.

"I would also like to praise the swift response of the initial attending officers, the courage of the off-duty police officer and the hard work of the entire investigation team and partner agencies.

"Although the sentence will never remove the trauma the victim has faced, we hope that this sentence shows that we do not tolerate perpetrators of violence against women, we are here to support victims and work with our partner agencies to safeguard them."