Graham Head, 66, had latex gloves, condoms, Viagra tablets and a balaclava in his silver Mercedes estate when he was arrested last year, a court heard.

He had "prowled" the streets of Sussex in his car searching for vulnerable women, police said.

Head, from Pevensey, East Sussex, was sentenced at Hove Crown Court to 18 years in prison and another five years on extended licence.

Judge Jeremy Gold said he was a "sexual predator" who posed a "present and dangerous risk" to women.

The defendant was found guilty of kidnap, attempted rape and assault by penetration at the same court in June.

Head was arrested in November 2022 after a woman in her 20s reported waking up in what she thought was a taxi to find a man sexually assaulting her.

Officers linked Head to another ongoing investigation from August, when a teenager who received a taxi ride from him from Brighton to Hove Park was then dragged into bushes.

She had remembered three digits of his number plate, allowing Sussex Police to track Head's Mercedes.

After his arrest, Head's internet history revealed multiple searches into Brighton student nights and nightclub opening times across Brighton, East Sussex and Surrey.

His mobile phone was in flight mode, meaning its location could not be traced.

A statement submitted to the court by one of Head's victims described how she really struggles to be outside by herself at night.

She said: "I start to panic at every insignificant sound as I assume that it must be someone who is coming to hurt and violate me.

"In general, I don't feel safe anymore, knowing that there are people out there who want to do what has been done to me."

Detective Constable Elliott Lander, of Surrey and Sussex's major crime team, praised the two "brave" women for coming forward and supporting the investigation, and urged any other potential victims to contact the police.

"We believe Head may have further victims who have not yet come forward," he said.