Serial rapist Esa Juwara jailed for violent sex worker attacks in Birmingham

Esa Juwara used a bike chain to assault some victims and one woman was punched so hard she lost a tooth, police said

A serial rapist convicted of a string of attacks on women in Birmingham has been jailed for life.

Esa Juwara, 21, violently attacked sex workers in the Ladywood area of the city from 2019, West Midlands Police said.

He used a bike chain to assault some of his victims, and punched one woman so hard she lost a tooth.

Juwara, who was found guilty of 11 offences at Birmingham Crown Court, must serve a minimum of 18 years.

Five of the offences he was convicted of in May were for rape.

His first victim was approached on Reservoir Road in March 2019 and he threatened her with a knife, police said.

Another sex worker was attacked by Juwara later that year in July and he punched and hit her with the bike chain, leaving her bruised and missing a tooth before she escaped.

But he found her again three months later on Icknield Port Road, detectives said, and, unable to fight him off, he repeatedly punched and raped her.

Juwara, of Lighthorne Avenue, Ladywood, raped two more women, with West Midlands Police saying the attacks became more frequent and "shockingly violent".

When the 21-year-old was arrested in January 2020 by plain-clothed police officers, he threatened the female officer with his bike chain.