A former University of Sussex student who launched sex attacks on five different women has been jailed.
Alex Patel-Wills, 26, attacked four University classmates in a horrific series of attacks in Brighton. The Londoner also attacked one of his victims when she was in a ‘vulnerable’ state.
The first woman reported being raped by Patel-Wills at a property in Brighton on 31 October, 2021.
Sussex Police launched an investigation and the victim was supported by specialist officers. Patel-Wills was arrested on suspicion of rape shortly after.
Over the following weeks, police identified four more victims spanning several years from 2018 to 2021.
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.
A woman in her then-late teens, who was known to Patel-Wills, reported being raped and sexually abused by him on multiple occasions in Brighton between 2018 and 2019.
Another woman also in her late teens was raped by Patel-Wills at a home in London while in ‘a vulnerable state’.
Two more women reported being raped in 2020 – in May, 2020, Patel-Wills sexually assaulted a woman at a property on campus in and four months later, raped another woman at his home in Brighton.
At Lewes Crown Court, the jury found Patel-Wills guilty of offences relating to every victim, namely four counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual assault by penetration.
He was found not guilty of one count of rape and one count of assault by penetration.
Patel-Wills, of Grove Road in Barnet, was sentenced to 25 years in prison sentence served as 19 years in custody, with a further six on extended licence.
DC Vicki Blythe said: ‘I would like to express my sincere gratitude to these brave women for reporting Alex Patel-Wills’ crimes to the police and helping us put him behind bars.
‘Every perpetrator brought to justice makes Sussex a safer place for women and girls, and we will continue to work hard to prevent offending, hold offenders to account and support victims.
‘Sussex Police is committed to supporting victims of sexual offending and doing all we can to secure the justice they deserve.
‘If you are a victim of sexual offending, please report to us in confidence online, via 101 or by calling 999 in an emergency.’