Indian jailed for 46 years for sexual crimes in New Jersey

New Jersey, April 3
An Indian-origin man in New Jersey in the US received a 46-year jail term for crimes against five women in 2012, authorities said.

Hiten Patel, 36, was convicted in February of 22 criminal charges, including multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault and attempted sexual assault in Atlantic City, said the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office, according to a report in the Cherry Hill Courier Post on Thursday.

Several women described attacks by Patel at a two-week trial in Egg Harbor Township of Mays Landing in New Jersey. According to the prosecutor's office, Patel contended that the women were prostitutes who consented to his actions.

One victim, a 21-year-old from Camden County, said Patel claimed to be an undercover detective, showed a badge and ordered her into a van where she was sexually assaulted at gunpoint.

Police arrested Patel in August 2012 after the woman was able to escape from the van, officials said.
see earlier report

Hiten Patel, 35, of Egg Harbor Township in New Jersey was found guilty of the sexual assault or attempted sexual assault of five women in Atlantic City throughout the summer of 2012. The jury convicted Patel in 22 of 34 counts, including multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault, attempted sexual assault, possession of an imitation firearm, impersonation of a law enforcement officer, terroristic threats and one count of attempted robbery and criminal restraint.

Patel, a computer analyst, potentially faces up to life in state prison. Superior Court Judge Bernard E DeLury will sentence Patel after the completion of an evaluation at Avenel Adult Diagnostic & Treatment Center, which is required for convicted sex offenders, acting Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain announced.

Following the verdict, Patel’s $1million bail was revoked and he was remanded into custody.

In August last year, Patel was arrested after Atlantic City Police linked him to at least 10 sexual assaults in the city.

Two cases from earlier attacks in 2011 still remain for trial. 

During the two-week-long trial, the victims recalled how Patel threatened them and sexually assaulted them at gunpoint. Some testified that he also choked them during the attacks.

Police seized the alleged gun from his van, which turned out to be an imitation or toy handgun. Patel  had made alterations to the gun to make it appear more realistic, according to prosecution.

Patel testified that he frequently solicited prostitutes, but denied sexually assaulting them or using the toy gun to threaten them. He said that he had paid them for sex, which they agreed to. He claimed he had never had sexual contact with two of the victims. Patel said he was addicted to prostitutes and had paid about 200 women for sex since 2008 or 2009.

Prosecution said that Patel targeted prostitutes as the victims of his attacks. ‘He

chose prostitutes because he believed they were unlikely to go to the police,’ assistant prosecutors John Flammer said. Several of the victims were former prostitutes, not

all were, according to the prosecution.

One of the victims, an 18-year-old Delaware girl, testified that Patel picked her up under the pretense of giving her a ride to the bus station. But when Patel locked the doors, threatened her and pulled a gun on her, she escaped jumping from the moving van. While fleeing, the girl was picked up by a NJ Transit bus. The bus driver testified at trial that the girl told her “someone tried to rape her.” The girl was taken to hospital where she was treated for a serious wound to her head and abrasions on several parts of her body from hitting the pavement.

The last victim, a 21-year-old Camden County woman, was instructed to get in the van while Patel  impersonated an undercover detective by using his security badge from his former job  with an FAA private contractor. He then threatened her with the ‘gun’ and sexually assaulted her in the back of the van. At the time, Patel had already been under investigation at that point. The police officers, who observed the victim fleeing the van, approached her and she hysterically told them she had been sexually assaulted by a man with a gun. Patel was pulled over in the van shortly thereafter and arrested. DNA evidence linking Patel to the victim was subsequently obtained by police.

‘This guilty verdict should serve as a reminder and deterrent of the grave consequences in store for individuals who seek to take advantage of vulnerable victims, especially women,’ stated Flammer. ‘Due to the brave women who came forward and faced their attacker, this defendant will now be unable to harm anyone else.’

Patel’s wife and mother cried once the verdict came. Leonard, the defense attorney, called it a mixed verdict, according ot Press Of Atlantic city. ‘From a legal standpoint, the jury accepted and rejected theories from both sides. From a practical standpoint, my client is in jail and looking at a lengthy prison sentence.’

Patel previously rejected a 30-year plea deal in the case. ‘Mr. Patel and his family are disappointed and want to continue their fight. It was a difficult case for all parties, and I respect the jury’s verdict,’ Leonard said.