A Walthamstow man has been jailed for raping a trafficked woman sold to him for a sham marriage.

Muhammad Badar Ul Islam, 32, was yesterday sentenced to eight years and three months in prison after being found guilty of rape and trafficking within the UK and conspiracy to breach UK immigration laws.

The 26 year-old victim was living on the streets in Slovakia when she was approached by two men and asked if she would go to England and marry an Indian man to guarantee her a better life.

She was driven through Europe before entering the UK by ferry and taken to an address in Gravesend.

There she was introduced to Tibor Suchy and his wife Viktoria Sanova, who agreed to sell her for marriage for £4,500 to Muhammad Badar Ul Islam, 32, from Walthamstow,whose student visa had expired.

He then took the woman to his Walthamstow home and raped her. She was then taken to hospital for treatment to her injuries inflicted during the attack.

Hospital staff immediately become concerned for her welfare and contacted police.

Badar Ul Islam was arrested on March 24 as he attempted to board a plane to Pakistan at Heathrow.

Suchy, Sana and Sanova were arrested on May 1 after the victim identified the address she was taken to in Gravesend.

Badar Ul Islam was yesterday jailed for eight years and three months for rape, trafficking within the UK and conspiracy to breach UK immigration laws at Woolwich Crown Court.

Suchy, 28, was sentenced to 10 years for conspiracy to breach UK immigration laws, conspiracy to traffic within and into the UK for exploitation.

Sanova was jailed for 16 months for trafficking in and within the UK.

Rene Sana, whose address has not been released, was found guilty of trafficking into and within the UK and was given a 16 month jail sentence.