A mother recounted her experience of being detained after reporting her sexual attack, resulting in the assailant remaining at large for nearly two years. Helen Ingham, 48, from Warrington, said to the police that she had been victimised by hotel manager Ahmed Fahmy, 45, who had exploited women for over 15 years.
Nevertheless, the police failed to apprehend him. Instead, they detained Helen, confining her in jail overnight when she expressed frustration that her allegations were not being regarded seriously. Fahmy was granted freedom and was subsequently brought to justice nearly two years later when two additional women revealed that he had raped or sexually assaulted them at a different hotel.
Subsequently, the police contacted Helen Ingham for a statement. During a two-week trial, it was revealed that he raped one woman and sexually attacked another in January 2024 at a hotel, 22 months after Helen Ingham’s assault. He was additionally convicted of sexually abusing Helen and another woman in 2008.
Helen Ingham, having relinquished her right to anonymity, stated that she had been residing at a luxury “yacht hotel” following a Stormzy event when she was assaulted. The waitress promptly contacted the police; however, she asserts that they did not take her seriously, failed to obtain her statement or charged Fahmy for the March 2022 assault.
Instead, she stated that she was arrested after becoming agitated and aggressive due to the cops’ apparent indifference towards her assault allegations, resulting in her confinement for the night. Following a distressing experience, Helen Ingham decided against pursuing her initial complaint due to the inadequate response she received, which led to no action being taken at that time.
However, the Metropolitan Police have recently acknowledged a broader inquiry, which led to the review of two officers involved in responding to her case. Both officers are currently under investigation. Reflecting on her distressing ordeal, Helen said: “The police failed me, and that’s more upsetting to me than what that man did.”
Describing her attempt to warn authorities, she continued: “They got in touch years later to talk to me about what he did to me – but when I told them at the time, they ignored me.” Helen recounted how she had tried to alert the police to the potential of future crimes by the perpetrator. She said: “I tried to tell the police that he would offend again, but they didn’t listen – the rape could have been avoided, but instead, they arrested me.”
Police missed the chance to arrest him and handcuffed Helen Ingham instead – locking her in a cell overnight when she became angry her accusations were not taken seriously.
The traumatic event unfolded for Helen and her daughter, Rheanna Talmage, aged 23, who had enjoyed a lavish stay at the Sunborn Yacht Hotel, Victoria Dock, east London, to celebrate Helen Ingham’s birthday. For Helen Ingham’s celebration they treated themselves to two nights at around £500 at the unique ‘yacht hotel’ constructed from a decommissioned superyacht.
Their night took a horrifying turn upon their return to the hotel lobby, however, where then-manager Fahmy met them and offered to accompany them to their room due to the fact they had been drinking. Alone in her room while her daughter stepped out for a cigarette, Helen was subjected to a sexual attack by Fahmy.
Recounting the shocking incident she said: “He let us into our room and I thought it was strange when he came in with us.” In her vulnerable state her anxiety escalated as she said: “I had sat on the bed and taken off my socks and shoes and I thought he would leave at that point.
“But he sat down at the end of the bed, pulled my foot off the bed, and put my big toe in his mouth. I shouted at him to get out of the room then I went to go and find my daughter in case he went to find her. When we tried to get back inside our cards wouldn’t work, because he had locked us out. Like a normal person, I called the police to report the incident. I was drunk and swearing when they arrived because I was angry about what he did to me.”
Helen Ingham alleges that officers asked Fahmy “what [did he] want [them] to do with her”, to which he responded, “Take her away”. She claimed that instead of taking her statement, she was “grabbed”. She said a physical conflict ensued and she was arrested and taken to the police station.
Helen Ingham said her daughter was “dumped at a train station” to make her way home alone while she spent a night in the cells. Helen added: “They didn’t investigate my claim at the time – they weren’t bothered about what happened to me.”
She was contacted in January this year when Fahmy was due to appear in court for several other sexual offences, including raping a woman. The earliest offence, in 2008, saw him attack a woman who was living in a flat near a Hilton hotel in Watford where he was a manager, Hendon Magistrates’ Court heard.
Ahmed Fahmy was allowed to go free and only brought to justice nearly two years later when two more women reported he raped or sexually assaulted them at another hotel.
He was also convicted of raping a woman and sexually assaulting another at Anchor Guest Hotel, in Golders Green, on January 20, 2024. A hotel worker was convicted of sexually assaulting four women including an incident where one victim awoke to find him licking her foot.
He was also found guilty of raping another woman during his employment at the establishment. The offences led to a conviction at Hendon Magistrates’ Court on July 25 with sentencing scheduled for September.
Helen Ingham, one of the victims, expressed her dismay at the police response. She said: “That night I felt like anyone could do anything to me and I would have been the one who got in trouble. I reported a crime and then I got arrested. If you can’t trust the police who can you trust?”
She further criticised the police’s inaction, saying: “His later crimes could have been avoided if the police had listened to me. The police waited for a crime to happen when they could have prevented one.” The Metropolitan Police are investigating the conduct of two officers involved in the initial response while detectives continue searching for potential additional victims, urging them to come forward.
A Met Police spokesman said: “The investigation into Ahmed Fahmy was led by a team of experienced detectives specialising in investigating sexual offences and providing victim support.” They added: “As part of their inquiries during a rape investigation, these detectives actively sought to identify any previous offences Fahmy was linked to.”
The statement concluded with a reference to a specific earlier incident. It noted: “One of those was an incident at the Sunborn Yacht Hotel in Western Gateway E16 on March 30, 2022. On that night police were called by a woman alleging that a man at the hotel had sexually assaulted her.
“Officers responded and spoke to the woman and man. The woman was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence and assault on an emergency worker. The man was not arrested. The woman was interviewed in custody, and it was later decided that no further action would be taken against her.
“No further action was taken regarding the alleged sexual offence after the woman decided she did not want to wish to proceed with the allegation. When officers investigating the rape allegation contacted the victim of this incident, she agreed to support the police. Her support, along with all the other victims, was instrumental in securing Fahmy’s convictions.
“The wider investigation also prompted a review into the actions of two officers who responded to the incident. Both remain under investigation. Tackling violence against women and girls is a key priority across the Met. We are doing more to support communities and people who’ve had their trust damaged, focusing on protecting women and girls from violence and targeting predatory men who commit those crimes. As part of the New Met for London, the Met offers victim-survivors specialist support and has committed to involving them in the decision-making process throughout the investigation.”
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.