A man who sexually assaulted five women as they walked in public in Bexhill has been given a seven-year sentence.
Max Wright, 27, formerly of Amherst Road in Bexhill, was charged with five counts of sexual assault relating to three separate incidents between November last year and June.
The first incident was reported on Sunday 20 November 2022. A woman walking alone from Bexhill Railway Station the night before was grabbed and sexually assaulted by a man giving the name of Maximiliano.
She engaged him in conversation to placate him, before running away from the scene.
An investigation was started the next day including extensive CCTV trawls and house-to-house inquiries, but a suspect could not be identified.
Overnight on Saturday 15 April and Sunday 16 April, three women walking from Cooden Railway Station were repeatedly sexually assaulted by a man who threatened to rape them before fleeing the scene.
They reported what had happened on Sunday 16 April and officers from the Neighbourhood Policing Team visited the scene the same day, carried out inquiries and identified a suspect.
Wright was arrested the next day, linked to both incidents and released on conditional bail while further inquiries were carried out.
In the early hours of Saturday 24 June, another woman was sexually assaulted while walking in Bexhill by a man who threatened to rape her.
She was on the phone to a friend at the time and managed to capture brief footage of the attack.
Wright was swiftly identified as a suspect, arrested within hours and subsequently charged with five counts of sexual assault.
He pleaded guilty to all counts on Monday 24 July at Hove Crown Court.
At the same court on Friday 1 December, Judge Christine Henson jailed Wright four years, with a further three years to be spent on licence.
He was made the subject of restraining orders against each victim and placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.
Sergeant Jon Thwaites, from Rother’s Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “These were terrifying experiences for each of the victims and I would like to thank them for reporting to police and helping us to bring Max Wright to justice.
“This was a fine example of teamwork, with proactive enquiries from the Neighbourhood Policing Team supporting the investigation led by the Safeguarding Investigation Unit.
“A dangerous offender who posed a clear risk to women has been put behind bars, making the streets of Bexhill a safer place for women and girls.”
