A 16-year-old boy who raped a woman at knifepoint in broad daylight in Sutcliffe Park has been sentenced to six years at a young offender institution.

The Lee Green teenager, who was 15 years old at the time and cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty at Woolwich Crown Court to rape and robbery.

The 46-year-old victim was walking in the Eltham park in the afternoon on April 19 when the teenager threatened her with a knife, said the Met Police.

He put his arm around her and told her to “act normal”, threatening her with violence if she did not comply.

When the woman got to an area of longer grass at the side of an athletics track, the youth, who was still holding the knife, forced her to undress and then raped her.

The woman then ran away from the teenager but he chased her and stole her handbag, which contained her mobile phone and £200 in cash.

A man sitting nearby, who witnessed the robbery, chased after the youth, who then threatened him with the knife.

Police were called and forensic teams took a DNA sample and a match was confirmed for the teenager.

The “dangerous” teen was also identified via CCTV on a bus near the park, shortly after the rape.

He was arrested at his home less than a week after the attack on April 25 and, during a search of his house, the victim's mobile phone was recovered. 

Detective Constable Robert Jamieson, of the Met's child abuse and sexual offences unit, said: "The suspect attacked a woman at knifepoint in broad daylight and subjected her to a horrific attack. 

“He is clearly a very dangerous individual and I am pleased he is now behind bars and not able to cause further harm.

“I would like thank the victim and acknowledge her courage throughout this investigation. I would also like to thank the member of the public who came to the victim's help.

“I hope the conviction and sentencing will allow the victim to move on with her life.”