PRESS RELEASE : Samuel Cortez jailed for sexual assault of 11-yr-old girl in North Finchley [November 2022]

A man who abducted a young girl from a bus stop and sexually assaulted her in a nearby park has been jailed.

Samuel Cortez, 38 (07.02.84) of Nether Street, N12 was jailed for nine years at Harrow Crown Court on Thursday, 10 November after pleading guilty to sexual assault of a child under the age of 13. He was also sentenced to three years and nine months’ imprisonment for child abduction – the sentence will run concurrently.

During the sentencing, the Judge ordered Cortez to be on licence for five years on completion of his sentence – he will also be on the sex offenders register for life.

The incident happened at around 16:00hrs on 30 September 2021 as an 11-year-old girl was at a bus stop near Sussex Ring, N12. Cortez approached her and intimated he was in possession of a knife before grabbing her by the wrist and leading her to a nearby park.

He then sexually assaulted the girl before leaving the area.

An investigation was launched which included an extensive analysis of CCTV from around the area of the incident. An image of the suspect was identified and this was subsequently distributed publicly through a media appeal.

As a result of this appeal, police received two calls from members of the public identifying Cortez as the man in the image. He was arrested on 15 December 2021, taken into police custody and subsequently charged.

Detective Constable Chris Finnegan, of the North West Command Unit led the investigation, and said: “This was a terrifying ordeal for the young girl but she, with the support of her family, has shown immense courage and strength in supporting our investigation. I hope it offers some reassurance that the man responsible is now behind bars.

“Identifying Cortez was a combination of diligent police work along with the support of the public. This is a great example of how policing should work and it has resulted in a vile individual being taken off the streets.”