A convicted rapist who posed as an undercover police officer in a bid to kidnap six schoolgirls in Crouch End has been found guilty of one charge of kidnapping and five counts of attempted kidnapping.

Abdi Waise, a Somali national, of Kenneth Robbins House in Haringey was found guilty today at Wood Green Crown Court.

 Waise had been released on licence just three seeks before the attempted abductions, after serving six years of an eight-year term for a violent rape, and had been granted a stay of execution in his fight against deportation.

The court heard that he went on an “increasingly desperate and erratic” spree on January 18 this year, accusing children of having drugs on them and trying to lure them away to be searched.

Before heading for Crouch End at around 8am, Waise approached a boy in Tottenham and offered to supply him with cannabis.

He then visited a cab office in Hornsey Lane, where he asked for a car to pick his daughter up later - despite having no children.

His first abduction attempt was made shortly afterwards, when he approached a girl waiting at a bus stop in Tottenham Lane.

Waise told her he was a plain clothes police officer, asked to search her bag and told her she could not get on the bus. The girl became frightened and rushed home.

Waise followed her down the street, shouting, until the girl arrived home and pointed Waise out to one of her parents, who challenged him. Waise said he was taking his daughter to school and left the scene.

On a road off Tottenham Lane, Waise approached a second girl on her way to school with a friend, asking if they had any drugs, before the girls ran away.

Minutes later, Waise approached a third girl in Crouch End, telling her he was a police officer looking for his daughter. The girl did not believe him and tried to walk away, but he grabbed her wrist. She ran away from him and made it into her school where she immediately reported the incident to a teacher.

At about 08:10 in Ferme Park Road, Waise made his fourth attempt. This time he blocked the pathway of a girl and her friend, claimed again to be a police officer and accused them of buying drugs. He showed the girls a small glass bottle of amyl nitrate (commonly known as “poppers”) and asked if they had bought some, before trying to lure the girls to a garden to search them. The girls did not believe him, and ran off.

Waise then targeted a group of school boys near the clock tower in Crouch End. He offered them money to use his poppers on a girl, telling them it would make a girl faint, so they could do as they pleased with her. The boys rebuffed his suggestions.

The next incident - for which Waise was convicted of kidnap - took place in Park Road where he approached a fifth girl. He again claimed to be a police officer, said he knew the girl’s mother and that she had said it was fine to go to his house for breakfast.

The girl became increasingly concerned as Waise controlled her journey, before she attempted to run off. Waise pulled her back and continued in his efforts to get her to come with him, until she was able to run away to school.

Waise’s final attempt was made at 09.10 when he approached a sixth girl at a bus stop in Crouch End. He grabbed her by the shoulder, said he was a police officer and told her she had to go with him. Again, the girl was able to run away.

All the girls were aged between 11-14, and all were on their way to local schools.

Police said extra officers were put on patrol in and around the area after the incidents were reported over January 18 and 19.

On January 19, plain clothes officers stopped and searched Waise in Sydney Road, Crouch End. He was arrested after they found two small bottles of poppers on him.

Whilst in custody he was further arrested for the attempted abductions as he fitted the description, was in the area of the offences and had possession of poppers as described by the witnesses.

Investigating officer DCI Paul Trevers, from Haringey CID, said: “Waise went out with the plan of abducting a girl. He made concerted and increasingly desperate attempts over the course of about two and half hours.

“When deception didn’t work, he became increasingly forceful. Fortunately all the girls saw through his ruse, and whilst frightened, all made it away safely.

“I want to praise the incredibly brave children involved in this matter - both victims and witnesses. They have gone through a very frightening ordeal and shown immense courage, not only at the time of the offences but also when forced to relive their experiences during the trial process.”

DCI Trevers added: “I also place on record my thanks for partners in education and probation who were very supportive of our policing plan to prevent further offences, as well as identifying the offender.

“Offences such as these are extremely rare, and due to our increased and proactive police operation out on the streets, Waise was caught within 24 hours.”

Waise was convicted of raping and throttling a 21-year-old woman in Edmonton in 2009 and sentenced to eight years in prison, but was released late in 2015.

He reportedly came to the UK when he was ten, but had no legal right to be here. He appealed deportation on human rights grounds while serving his sentence, and was waiting for his case to be heard when he made his abduction attempts.

Detective Sergeant Gareth Coffey said after the trial: ‘He is an illegal immigrant. He was appealing against the deportation at the time and that was why he had not been deported.”

He will be sentenced next Thursday at Wood Green Crown Court.