A FAKE Uber driver who cruised the streets with a makeshift "rape kit" looking for women to attack has been jailed for 23 years.
Sex predator Graham Head posed as a taxi driver, keeping Viagra, latex gloves, a balaclava and baby oil in his Mercedes.
He was finally caught after one of the vulnerable young women he assaulted memorised a section of his personalised number plate.
Video footage has been released of the moment 66-year-old Head was arrested by Sussex Police, as he now begins his jail term.
Detectives not only found the "rape kit" in his car, but also pepper spray and an extendable baton at his home in Pevensey, East Sussex.
His prison sentence comes after he was convicted of kidnap, attempted rape and sexual assault by a jury at Hove Trial Centre last month.
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Police believe there are many more victims of Head as he prowled the streets of Brighton and have urged people to come forward.
He told victims he was a taxi driver and had business cards designed to suggest he was working for Uber.
Officers were investigating the attempted rape of a woman last August when they were alerted to another attack the following November.
The first victim, in her late teens, was hauled into bushes in Hove Park by Head in the early hours of August 19 that year after giving her a lift from Brighton.
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He tried to rape her but he fled when her phone rang, his trial heard.
The second attack, on November 18 that year, involved a woman in her 20s who reported waking up in what she thought was a taxi to discover a man sexually assaulting her.
She only escaped after kicking Head in the groin, before calling police in the early hours and telling them three digits from his silver Mercedes estate's number plate.
She has now been praised by trial judge Jeremy Gold, who said at Head's sentencing hearing: "Were it not for her, he would not have been apprehended and we would not be where we are today."
Officers managed to detain Head after a short chase within minutes of being called by the second victim and locating his car, the court heard.
His internet search history was found to include phrases such as "if a mobile phone is switched off can it still be traced".
There were also multiple searches about nightclub opening times in Brighton, East Sussex and Surrey, as well as information on Brighton student nights.
Mr Gold told Head: "You were in the habit of driving around in the early hours of the morning looking for vulnerable, intoxicated young women.
"You were posing as a Good Samaritan – instead you were a sexual predator."
In a victim statement, the woman he attacked last August said the "physical impacts" were "temporary" – but "the psychological impacts were not".
She said: "Most prominently, I really struggle to be outside by myself at night.
"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."
Head's second victim was too traumatised to give a statement, prosecutor Ryan Richter told the court.
Head was jailed for 18 years but with an additional five years to be spent on extended licence.
He will be eligible for parole after serving at least 12 years in prison, Judge Gold said.
Superintendent Adele Tucknott, Sussex Police’s lead for violence against women and girls, said afterwards: "Women and girls should be able to walk the streets safe from dangerous predators like Graham Head.
"His imprisonment is another step in our ongoing commitment to making sure Sussex remains a safe place for women and girls.
"Our message to victims remains the same – please report any crimes or concerns to the police.
"You will be believed, you will be supported and we will do everything in our power to get you the justice you deserve."
Detective Constable Elliott Lander, from the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team, described Head as "a predatory offender who gained the trust of these victims by posing as a taxi driver".
Mr Lander added: "The items found in his car show the callous, pre-meditated nature of his crimes as he moved through Brighton and Hove looking for potential victims.
"Thanks to the quick thinking and bravery of these two women, we were quickly able to connect Head to both incidents and bring him to justice.
"Without them, this dangerous individual could still be at large."
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He urged anyone else attacked by Head to contact police, quoting Operation Cooper.
He said: "We believe Head may have further victims who have not yet come forward."
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