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Friday, November 27, 1998 Published at 08:08 GMT

Police join forces in hunt for rapist

Past experience suggests the rapist will live within the area of his crimes

Detectives from three forces are putting their heads together in a bid to catch a rapist who has struck at least five times this year.

Officers from London, Essex and Sussex have set up a joint enquiry team in a bid to discover the identity of the man, who assaulted two teenage girls and three women between August and September.

The victims, who include a 15-year-old schoolgirl, were attacked in Brighton, Southend and London.

The enquiry team is also looking at similar attacks in the South East.

A spokesman for Essex police said three attacks took place in Southend, one in St John's Wood in north London and another in Brighton.

Assaults linked by DNA

DNA tests have shown that all five assaults were committed by the same man.

Detectives working on the enquiry, codenamed Operation Monarch, are anxious to trace anyone who may be able to link the individual responsible for the following attacks:

An 18-year-old woman raped in Sunderland Road, Brighton, on 29 August.

The rape of a 15-year-old girl in Eaton Road, Southend, onb 31 August.

An indecent assault on a 16-year-old girl in Queensway, Southend, on 12 September.

A 22-year-old woman seriously assaulted in Beedell Avenue, Westcliff, near Southend on 12 September.

The rape of a 26-year-old woman in Ordinance Hill, St John's Wood on 13 September.

Commander Paddy Tomkins, from Scotland Yard, is leading the investigation.

'Does he sound familiar?'

He said: "The fact that he has struck in these three areas is obviously significant and we are appealing for anyone who knows a man who travels between north-west London, Southend and Brighton to come forward.

"We are hoping that in particular a friend or relative of this man might recognise his description and get in touch."

The suspect is described as a tanned white man aged between 20 and 30, between 5ft 8in and 5ft 10in tall, with short brown hair.

He speaks with an Essex or London accent and was en wearing a cream or white rugby shirt with black hoops on at least one occasion.

Anyone with information is urged to call detectives on 0800 389 2873.

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