Locations
Croydon, south London, BR3
Description
A sex offender raped a jogger at knifepoint during a four-day spree of violence against eight women after he was allowed to walk free from a secure hospital.
Louis Collins, 29, hit the woman over the head and forced her to the ground in Marble Hill Park in Twickenham, south-west London during the hour-long attack on Aug 21 last year.
Brandishing a knife and a broken bottle he said dont scream, nobodys going to help you, before tearing her clothes off and assaulting her, the court heard.
Two women began to approach after they heard the victim screaming for help, but Collins yelled f--- off or I will kill you and they left.
Patricia May, prosecuting, told the sentencing hearing that Collins was let out of Lambeth Hospital without supervision on Aug 18 last year after doctors agreed he could have an unescorted absence.
Shattered my sense of security
Shortly after being released, he groped a woman at Clapham Common station as she travelled up the escalator.
Collins later returned to the hospital past his curfew, but despite this was allowed to leave again on Aug 20.
That day he attacked and attempted to rape two other women, sexually assaulting four more and threatening to kill another, before raping the jogger at around 8am on August 21, Ms May said.
At Kingston Crown Court, Collins pleaded guilty to 27 charges including rape, attempted rape and sexual assault between August 18 and 21 last year.
Siobhan Molloy, mitigating, said Collins, of Croydon, south London, claimed voices in his head had told him to carry out the attacks. However, a doctor said Collins did not show signs of a psychotic illness.
Pleaded guilty to all charges
In a statement read at court the victim said: On August 21, my world turned upside down. What happened on that day shattered my sense of security, trust in people and justice.
The victim said she had waited 18 months for professional counselling to help her deal with the trauma.
A spokesman for South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, responsible for Lambeth Hospital, said: We strongly support the courts decision today in sentencing Louis Collins who pleaded guilty to all charges.
These are appalling crimes, and our thoughts are with the victims and their families.
We have completed a thorough internal investigation and continue to do our utmost to improve our services.
Collins will be sentenced on Tuesday.