A man has been jailed for six years after attempting to rape a woman near a train station in Canary Wharf, London, in an attack that was thwarted by vigilant security staff. Syed Imam, 30, was detained by security personnel after they intervened during the assault in an underpass in the early hours of 14 March, having earlier noticed him behaving suspiciously; he was handed over to police, who arrested him within 30 minutes. Bodycam footage released by the Metropolitan Police shows Imam smirking and falsely denying involvement, telling officers "I can't be" arrested and accusing a security guard of lying, despite having been seen leaving the Tube station with the victim.

Imam was charged within 24 hours of the attack and was convicted of attempted rape following a four-day trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court, with sentencing taking place two months later. The victim had no memory of the assault, but police said CCTV evidence and rapid investigative work secured a swift charge and remand. Detective Constable Madeleine Powell praised the security staff's intervention and the officers' pace in building the case, while the Met said arrests and charges for rape have more than doubled in the past year, with violence against women and girls offences up 71%.