Victim speaks as car-jacker is jailed
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| Tolu Ogunda-Na |
By Chingford GuardianA MUM who was kidnapped and robbed at gunpoint during a terrifying car-jacking has spoken of her ordeal. Miranda Thompson, 34, of Highams Park, was attacked by Tolu Ogunda-Na on a shopping trip in April last year. The mum of two was shopping in Gants Hill, and as she returned to her car, Ogunda-na, 24, jumped in and pointed a gun at her. She was forced to drive for 45 minutes to a cashpoint and withdraw £250. She was then dumped before the gunman sped off in her car. Police spotted him later that day in the stolen car and a high speed chase followed, during which time Ogunda-na drove dangerously, and crashed into a van, injuring a four-year-old boy. Police managed to stop him and found a gun and credit cards on the car's front seat. A jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court took less than one hour to convict him, after first hearing he had committed exactly the same crime against another woman three months earlier. In jailing him for more than ten years for both car-jackings, Judge Simon Wilkinson told him: "Both victims were abducted by you at gunpoint. They must have been terrified. These sort of incidents can scar a victim for years to come. You have shown no remorse whatsoever." This week, Mrs Thompson, who works at Waltham Forest College, is coming to terms with the end of her ordeal. She said: "It was terrifying and I had nightmares about it for a long time. As soon as I would close my eyes it would replay in my mind over and over again. "Funnily enough, the drive from Gants Hill to the cashpoint seemed surreal as there were so many people around us. I think if it had happened to me in the dark, I would have panicked a lot more." Mrs Thompson believes the sentencing of Ogunda-Na will help her to get on with her life. She said: "Although I was dreading going to the court, I am glad I did in the end. I can breathe a lot easier knowing he will be behind bars for the next ten years. Hopefully, I will be able to put that chapter of my life behind me now." The court heard how Ogunda-na, from the Trelawney Estate, Hackney, abducted the women in identical ways. He had been on bail for the first offence when he kidnapped and robbed Mrs Thompson. He was sentenced to ten years in prison to run concurrently for two counts each of kidnapping and robbery. Det Cons Steve Senk, who led the investigation, said later: "This man is evil with a capital E. He has preyed on vulnerable young women. "It's the right verdict. Women can feel safer knowing that he will spend a considerable amount of time behind bars. "We were shocked by what he did. These women would have been scared senseless anyway, without the extra torture of having a gun pointed at them." 11:59 Thursday 23rd January 2003
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