Two men who were convicted of raping a 14-year-old girl in a car have been kept in custody ahead of their sentencing next month.

T’Shai Bromfield, 24, from Colindale and Ryan King, 21, from Thorpe Crescent were both convicted following a week-long trial at St Albans Crown Court. 

Bromfield was found guilty of one count of rape and King was found guilty of one count of rape and sexual assault by penetration.

A police spokeswoman confirmed they have been remanded in custody ahead of their sentencing on June 23.

The pair, who were aged 19 and 17 at the time, had been out drinking in a group when the victim wanted to change her outfit privately in Bromfield's car.

But Bromfield – also known by the nickname ‘Chopper’ – and King drove the victim to an unknown location in Watford before taking it in turns to rape her.

Detective Constable Ayodeji Afolabi, who investigated the case, said: "This has been a lengthy and protracted investigation and I firstly want to pay tribute to the courage of the victim in this case, who has had to wait a long time for Bromfield and King to appear in court and face up to what they did.

“Following her ordeal, she bravely confided in someone she trusted and they reported it to police, so we could begin investigating.

"We pieced the evening together and confirmed that King had purchased alcohol for the group of young people before he and Bromfield preyed on the vulnerable victim, exploiting her for their own sexual gratification.

“By pleading not guilty to their crimes, they forced the victim to be cross-examined in court as part of their trial, which was an incredibly distressing experience for her."

The victim has since received specialist support to help her process what happened.

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