Yard probe after man is freed to rape

A man released without charge after going berserk on a bus then embarked on a rampage and raped a shopkeeper.

Officers were called just before 2pm when a man was abusing and threatening bus passengers in the High Street.

Two officers questioned a man whom they described as "co-operative" and let him go.

Minutes later he began abusing and threatening people, at one point trying to rob a young mother with a baby. He then burst into further shops causing two people to dial 999.

Police ignored two pleas for help from shoppers, grading the calls as "non-emergency". The 21-year-old man finally burst into a shop in Wanstead, robbed the shopkeeper and raped her, only fleeing when a customer walked in.

But at 3.20pm police attended a call to reports of a rape and arrested a man in a near-by restaurant.

Police admit officers were "diverted" to more urgent matters and did not immediately respond to the calls.

Scotland Yard said it had launched an internal inquiry into Monday's incident.

A man remains in custody in Ilford police station.