Jailed: Notorious sex beast who forced Harrow jogger to strip naked before raping her

Sex attacker: Michael Chandler
Met Police
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A notorious sex beast who raped a string of women around London in the 1980s has been given a further three life sentences after he admitted terrifying attacks on two more women who fell into his clutches.

Michael Chandler, 53, admitted he “didn’t care what he did” as he attacked eight women in the space of two years, between 1985 and 1987, often invading their homes while masked and brandishing a knife.

He was given six life sentences in 1988 after being convicted of six rapes on women around London, breaking into their homes as they got ready for bed and threatening to stab them if they did not comply with his sexual desires.

The Old Bailey judge at the time recommended Chandler spend a minimum of 25-30 years behind bars, but the Home Secretary imposed a tariff of just 14 years. However, Chandler has not been considered fit for release and remains in prison to this day.

In 2014, following a cold case DNA review, Chandler was charged with and admitted a seventh rape on a 30-year-old victim, having stalked her as she returned home from the pub on March 27 1986.

The woman woke up to find she had been tied up and Chandler was on top and raping her, having climbed through a window into her Harrow home.

The attack only ended when the woman’s husband burst into the bedroom and Chandler fled by jumping out of a window.

Chandler admitted the attack in November 2014, but surprised police and prosecutors by also confessing to a rape which he had been acquitted of at his original trial.

Wearing a balaclava, he jumped out on a 19-year-old woman in a West Harrow park while she was sat having a cigarette and thrust a knife at her.

Chandler forced her to a secluded spot where he ordered that she strip naked and then he raped her.

He pleaded guilty to the March 1 1986 attack on Friday, after prosecutors had to seek to overturn his original acquittal because of the confession.

At the Old Bailey on Monday afternoon, Judge Mark Lucraft QC sentenced Chandler to three life sentences with five year minimum terms after he had admitted two rapes and one count of false imprisonment.

“Between 1985 and 1987 you carried out the most appalling series of rapes – now in total we know you subjected eight women to the most frightening series of attacks”, he said.

“The offences were committed at knife point, and both victims suffered physically and psychologically.

“These were the most appalling offences and will have had the most devastating impact on the victims.”

The court heard Chandler served his original minimum term by 2002, and in November 2008 he was first granted temporary home leave from prison.

However, this was revoked in December 2009 when he was caught with a mobile phone at the place where he was working.

In 2011, Chandler was again granted home leave, but this was revoked in July that year when one of his victims complained about him being free.

Chandler displayed little emotion as his latest sentence was passed.

Judge Lucraft warned he will not necessarily be free in five years’ time, and continues to pose a risk to the public.

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