Airbnb Guest Jailed For Raping Lone Female First-Time Host

Banged Up Abroad: Dellarovere

An Airbnb guest, who raped his first-time host then promised to leave a “good review,” was sentenced to seven years imprisonment yesterday.

Well-travelled graphic designer Diego Dellarovere, 43, who describes himself as a ‘Citizen of the World’ was the first internet customer of the Irishwoman, who decided to rent her spare room.

However, she ended up barricading herself in her bedroom and hiding her kitchen knives after the Italian orally raped her on the couch.

The next morning he told her: “I’ll leave a good review.”

A jury took approximately three hours to unanimously find him guilty of rape; sexual assault and assault by penetration.

Dellarovere, of Holland Road, West Kensington, who describes himself as a ‘Free Spirit’, will now spend multiple years in a prison cell.

He will also have to sign the sex offenders register.

His exotic travels are chronicled online, where he tells his instagram fans: “Follow Me. I will take you around the world.”

The woman told the trial she became a host to make the most of the spare room in her Wandle Park, Croydon flat, advertising on the Airbnb website.

Her first-ever guest was Dellarovere, who booked for one night on May 7, 2021, despite having a London address.

He told the jury: “I like to explore new places and in that period it was a covid period and I couldn’t travel or visit other places and the idea to go on a night out, it was close to my lifestyle.

“It was cheap and because there was a park close by and I like nature.”

She accepted the booking, despite believing it was a little strange west London-based Dellarovere wanted to spend the night in her quiet corner of Croydon.

During the evening she poured them both a glass of wine and Dellarovere told her about his passion for Reiki therapy, which utilises the body’s natural energy.

Well-Travelled: Dellarovere

In her police video-recorded interview she explained: “He mentioned massage at that point and was following me very close and came behind me and started rubbing my shoulders and I said: ’No thanks.’

“Then when I was sitting on the couch he was touching my legs and said: ‘Put on spa music and I can give you a massage.’

“He was saying: ‘I have oil. I will give you a massage.’

“I felt like he was just looking at me and not wanting just small talk and that’s when things turned,” she told the investigating officers.

“He came forward and pulled me in and started licking and kissing my neck. I pulled back and he was quite strongly pulling me in and I had to forcefully push him away.

“I felt a little bit frozen and he went in again, using a lot more strength and force.

“I was saying ‘no’ quite a lot and pushing and he stuck his tongue in my mouth and moved from there to my breast and his hand went down inside my leggings. 

“I said: ‘I don’t want this,’ and he said: ‘Come on,’ and started talking about that energy stuff we had discussed earlier.

“He put his hand into my trousers and into me and was quite roughly moving his fingers. It was not comfortable.

“He pulled down down his trousers and underwear and sat down,” continued the woman, adding Dellarovere forced her hand between his legs.

“He grabbed my head again, my hair and just pushed forward.”

She said she was raped by force and without consent and afterwards Dellarovere followed her around the kitchen, trying to grab her.

“He started grabbing me again and I said: “You’re really p***ing me off now,” and he walked away, tidied himself up and went into the spare bedroom.”

However, Dellarovere insisted the sexual activity was consensual and occurred after he gave her a relaxing massage.

The father-of-one told the jury during the four-day trial: “There was a sort of chemistry. We were laughing and joking, everything was very natural.

“At that point when there was a kiss she came closer and we became more intimate, we started to hug and touch each other. We kissed and hugged.”

Dellarovere said the “ten to twenty seconds” sex act occurred during a “moment of passion,” the complainant seemed to immediately regret.

“I was going to move and then it was just like she had woken up and she stood up and went back and she said: ’No, no, it’s too soon. I made a mistake.’

“At the point she stood up I still had my trousers down and I stood up and I said: ‘Everything is okay, there’s nothing wrong,’ and I tried to hug her.

“At this point she said: ’No, no,’ and when I heard her I was embarrassed, pulled up my trousers and went in my room.”

The woman told the trial she also retreated to her bedroom. “I went to my bedroom and he was texting me, asking: ‘Are you sure?’ and then texted me that he was sorry and asked if I was angry.

“I was scared because he did not get what he wanted and would go out and bring someone back.”

After getting her pet dog into her bedroom she struggled to convince her reluctant pet cat to follow. “Once they were in I pulled a unit across the door.”

She also hid her knife block, remarking: “I did not know what he was capable of doing.”

Dellarovere had her door keys and returned to the flat at 2.00am after “going for a walk” and spent the night in the spare room.

She left a neutral Airbnb about Dellarovere, which seemed to annoy him, the court heard.

“He responded with an angry face emoji and there was some back and forth messaging in which he said it was consensual and using block capitals, said I LIKED it.”

Dellarovere sent further WhatsApp messages to the woman, including: “You are repressed,” “You’re not a good person,” “You need to be more in your soul not your mind,” “Be an adult, not a baby,” and “I didn’t see any objections from you.”

Dellarovere then blocked the woman, but contacted her again when she reported to Airbnb her concerns about his stay, resulting in her ultimately blocking him.

She told the police: “I was just going to report this to Airbnb and leave it at that. My initial thoughts were it was pointless because it was not going to go anywhere.

“Then my thought was that he is likely going to do that to someone again so I want his name to be flagged.”

Detective Constable Natalie Alchin said: “Dellarovere forced himself on this woman in her own home, somewhere she should have felt safe and I have no doubt that she was terrified.

“I am pleased our investigation has resulted in him receiving a significant custodial sentence and I would like to praise the victim for the support she has shown the investigation.

“We do not underestimate the impact that would have had on her.”

Premier Inn Manager Secretly Recorded Staff Undressing

A manager with hotel chain giant Premier Inn secretly filmed employees with a concealed mobile phone as they changed into their uniforms, a court heard.

Batchelor Anthony Grant, 38, the night manager at the Great Suffolk Street, Southwark hotel near the Tate Modern, had deliberately propped his phone against a rucksack and covered it with a jacket.

He denied the offences, claiming he must have accidentally activated his phone’s record feature, but was found guilty of three counts of voyeurism after a trial.

At Bexley Magistrates’ Court Grant, who lives with his mother in Barque Mews, Deptford received a two-year Community Order, plus 250 hours community service work.

He must also complete thirty days of a rehabilitation activity requirement and pay £500 costs and a £114 victim surcharge.

Grant was effectively sacked on the spot from his night manager position with the UK’s largest hotel chain and remains unemployed.

Prosecutor Denise Clewes told the court two female and one male day shift employees were recorded undressing and changing into their uniforms as they phone ran for nearly and hour.

One of the female victim’s told police Grant “blushed and was embarrassed” when she arrived for work on September 26, 2021 and the male worker told her not to get changed as usual.

“She saw a propped-up phone obscured by a jacket, which viewed the entire room and anybody changing in there.

“Another employee put her bag in front of the phone and got changed and it was reported to another manager.

“That manager saw the phone propped against a rucksack and that it had been recording for fifty-nine minutes and he stopped it recording,” added Ms Clewes. 

“Watching the recorded footage he could see Grant had captured himself setting up the phone to record the room.

“The male victim believed he had been recorded in his socks and underwear.”

When asked about his phone Grant told his boss: “I didn’t know it was recording.”

He was told to leave the premises immediately and the police were later informed.

“Mr Grant said he never set his phone to record and maybe had accidentally swiped to record and said he did not intend to record any of his colleagues.”

In her victim impact statement the first female victim said: “I was in a vulnerable position and I now feel paranoid and uncomfortable.

“I am concerned he knows where I live and my route to and from work and I sometimes now don’t use the changing room.”

The second female victim said: “I feel weird going to and from work and feel he may be secretly watching me from somewhere.”

The court heard Grant was of good character before these offences and has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

“We have listened to everything that has been said and we think this can be dealt with in the community, where you can receive the treatment you need,” announced magistrate Shirley Muckell.

“This package has been put together by the Probation Service to assist you.”

TV Expert Sentenced For Covid Row Pub Headbutt

"Poor Northern Cousin": Young

A social media tv expert, who has worked on hit shows including ‘The Voice’ and ’Sunday Brunch’ headbutted a pub manager he believed treated him like a “second-class citizen.”

Middlesbrough-native Joel Young, 47, felt like a “poor Northern cousin” when seated in an unattractive spot at the south-west London gastropub, where a covid meal row occurred.

He rowed with staff at the Leather Bottle pub in Garrett Lane, Tooting over what amounted to a “substantial meal” after ordering sausage roll and chips with alcoholic drinks.

Young, of Felix Court, Charcot Road, Colindale was convicted of assaulting budding actor Skyla Bryant, causing him actual bodily harm, as he tried to enforce the pub’s covid drinking rules on December 5, 2020.

The victim was hospitalised with a cut to his eyebrow and redness to his nose, which was bent with evidence of a fracture.

Today at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court Young received a two-year Community Order, which includes 140 hours community service work and up to twenty-five days of a rehabilitation activity requirement.

Young, who ironically is suffering long covid, has also worked for ITN, Channel Four News and ‘First Dates Hotel’ and was upset that he and his drinking companion were refused more alcohol because they failed to order a meal.

The victim, Mr Bryant told the jury: “It was the evening and Joel Young and his friend ordered a basic sausage roll and fries, with maybe a scotch egg. 

“They claimed they had a substantial meal, but I encouraged them to place another order.

“They complained about the rules and I reminded them of the guidelines and things escalated from there.

“It was Joel Young that got angry and he continued the conversation, saying: “This is f***ing ridiculous, this is a substantial meal,” and continued to swear.

Budding Actor: Bryant

“He downed the rest of his pint and said: ‘bye then,’ and I said: ‘bye then,’ and he turned around on the spot and headbutted me in the face, in the nose.

“The top of his forehead landed on the bridge of my nose.”

Judge Laurence West-Knights KC told Young: “The circumstances of this assault are curious and concerning.

“You were having a drink in a pub with a friend and you were bristling with a propensity to take offence wherever you looked.

“You expressed extreme irritation at being treated, as you felt, like a ‘second-class citizen’ and ’Northerner’ in this pub.

“Mr Bryant asked if you would comply with the regulations and you took it that you were being treated like a ‘poor Northern cousin’.

“Additionally, that you had been seated by the door and were not receiving proper treatment because you were not spending huge chunks of money on food you didn’t need.

“Mr Bryant ordered you “off my premises” as you put it and say you felt he was looking to assault you out of sight of the security cameras.

“You felt you were being ordered about by a little man being a big man and you did not like being told what to do and you turned around and headbutted him.

“The headbutt is equivalent to use of a weapon, but there is a tiny element of possible doubt in your mind that you were about to be attacked and there was no serious physical injury.

“The victim was a trainee actor and he had some psychological concerns about his appearance afterwards and his acting future.

“You have now clearly expressed remorse and taking the many character references into account you have some elements of exemplary character.

Poor Seat: Young

“There is much good in you, but this behaviour has to stop. You have some quirks that you will have to address.” 

During the trial prosecutor Mr Francis Gaskin told the jury: “This was during covid and there were Tier Two restrictions in place at the time and customers needed to be having a substantial meal to be served alcohol.

“This defendant and his friend went to the Leather Bottle and ordered some drinks and some food, sausage roll and chips.

“The deputy manager, Mr Bryant looked at the food order and said it was not a substantial meal and the customers should go or order more food.

“Mr Young was not happy about this and was angry, is the prosecution’s case. He put his glass down firmly on the table and said he was leaving.

“He went to the door and there was a time when both men were close and Mr Young headbutted Mr Bryant, striking his face with the bridge of his nose.

“This was completely unnecessary, uncalled for, unlawful and unprovoked.

“The defence case is that he thought he was about to be attacked by Mr Bryant and used lawful force to defend himself.

“Nothing was done by Mr Bryant that would make anyone think he was going to assault anybody.”