A pair of "evil" gun-wielding brothers who raped and robbed two Lewisham women in a "reign of terror" have been jailed for a total of 42 years.

In January this year Basiru Deen, described in court as "a family man", ringleader Ali Deen and another unknown man targeted the women - both sex workers - because they were seen as easy targets.

In an ordeal that lasted nearly an hour, Ali Deen - out on licence for less than six months following convictions for robbery and aggravated burglary - stood wielding a gun while both victims were raped by his accomplices.

Even after the rapes, he then covered their heads with sheets and threatened to shoot them

Before they left the Peckham brothers ransacked the flat and left with £2,000 cash, computers and mobile phones.

In a victim impact statement, one of the women said: "There was nothing I could do to defend myself. I was left feeling totally humiliated. I had a gun held to me the whole time.

"I thought they were going to kill me and remember begging for my life. They stripped me naked and did what they liked."

News Shopper:

The gun was never found and the third attacker has never been idenitified, causing further trauma to the two victims.

At the Old Bailey today (July 9), a member of the Deen family began wailing from the public gallery as the brothers were handed long prison sentences. Their victims listened from behind a curtain.

Recorder Brian O'Neill told the court: "They'd robbed the women of everything in the flat but, worse than that, they'd used rape as a weapon of terror against them further to subject the women to their evil will.

"This was nothing less than gratuitous sexual violence designed to humiliate and terrify your two unfortunate victims."

Ali Deen, 24, was convicted on July 8 at the Old Bailey of two counts of aiding and abetting rape, possession of an imitation firearm and robbery.

He was branded "dangerous" by the judge and given concurrent extended sentences of 22 years for each rape, 16 for possession and a further 16 for each robbery

Basiru Deen, 21, had been found guilty of two charges of rape and one of robbery.

He was jailed concurently for 20 years for each rape, 16 years for one robbery and 15 years for the other.

Acting Detective Inspector Jon Summers from the Met's Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command said: "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."