Arrest made in serial rapist case

Detectives hunting for a serial rapist who has attacked 10 women and girls in the South East including one incident on Putney Heath have arrested a man.

The 48-year-old from Ashford in Kent was arrested at 11.30 yesterday evening near junction five of the M20 motorway driving coastwards. Police confirmed the man arrested was married and would be questioned later today.

Mark Pugash of the Kent Police said the man would be questioned in detail later today. He confirmed that the arrest was part of Operation Orb which he said was probably the largest police operation in the last 25 years.

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said
Proceedings are live. He has to be interviewed,
he has rights and we have to respect that."

Officers are also searching his house but there was no confirmation as to whether an items linking him to the attack were found. The attacker became known as the trophy rapist because of his habit of taking an item from his victims. In an horrific twist to the Putney attack the man took the victim's mobile phone and called her mother boasting of what he had done.

December 3 , 2002

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