Fake taxi driver jailed for preying on vulnerable women across Sussex
The 66-year-old prowled the streets to pick up young women on nights out
A Pevensey man who pretended to be a taxi driver to prey on vulnerable women has been sentenced to 23 years for kidnap, attempted rape and sexual assault.
Graham Head prowled the streets of Sussex in his Mercedes - picking up women after nights out and assaulting them before fleeing.
The 66-year-old, of Coast Road, was arrested on November 18, 2022, after a woman in her 20s reported waking up in a car she believed was a taxi while being sexually assaulted.
She managed to remember three digits of his number plate.
Police tracked his car down following a short pursuit and linked him to another ongoing investigation from August that year, where a woman in her late teens reported a man dragging her into bushes in Hove Park.
He attempted to rape her but ran away after her phone rang.
Head’s internet search history was found to include phrases such as ‘if a mobile phone is switched off can it still be traced’ and multiple searches around nightclub opening times in Brighton, East Sussex and Surrey, as well as information on Brighton student nights.
A number of suspicious items were also found in his car, including condoms, latex gloves and a balaclava.
At Lewes Crown Court, he was jailed for 18 years, with an additional five years to be spent on extended licence.
Detective Constable Elliott Lander, of Surrey and Sussex’s Major Crime Team, said: “Graham Head was a committed offender who demonstrated a meticulous approach to preying on vulnerable women.
“With him now behind bars for a significant length of time, our streets are safer as a result.
“I would like to once again thank these two brave women for supporting the investigation through to prosecution – without them Head could still be on the loose, putting other women in danger.
“We believe Head may have further victims who have not yet come forward. If you believe you may have been a victim, or have any information which could help, please contact police online or via 101, quoting Operation Cooper. Always dial 999 in an emergency.”