Man followed woman down Bedford alleyway in Silver Street and raped her

A man who followed a woman down an alleyway in Bedford during the early hours of the morning and raped her has been convicted.

Philip Mundle was found guilty of rape in connection to the attack in Silver Street, Bedford, in April this year.

CCTV captured 31-year-old Mundle lurking in the area, where he appeared to be on the look-out for vulnerable women. He followed the 18-year-old victim down an alleyway as she was on her way home from a nearby bar at around 4am.

After the attack, the victim approached the police night-time economy van and reported what had happened. Mundle was arrested on suspicion of rape near the scene shortly afterwards.

On Monday (October 31), at Luton Crown Court, he was found guilty of one count of rape.

Mundle, of no fixed abode, is due for sentencing on December 15.

Detective Constable Philippa McCarthy from Bedfordshire Police’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) team, said: “The evidence showed that Mundle deliberately preyed on and targeted what he considered to be a vulnerable woman.

“The victim in this case has showed enormous courage to come forward and speak to officers immediately and throughout the case, to help ensure Mundle was brought to justice for his crimes.

“Women deserve to feel safe in public spaces and should not have to worry.

“Predators like Mundle who act in this kind of appalling way will be relentlessly pursued by our officers and put where they deserve to be – behind bars.”

Bedfordshire Police has rolled out Project Firefly, which aims to ensure women don’t have to face unwanted and unacceptable behaviour in things like bars and clubs.

Visit here if you need to report any incidents

The project includes specialist training for police officers who go out on patrol as well as licensed premises, an increased police presence and a social media campaign aimed at challenging perpetrators of male violence and abuse.

As part of the project, a number of premises across the county have received training on how to spot predators and tools to report and support, as part of helping people feel safe.