Top cop Paul Astbury has branded serial rapist Nicholas Edwards a Jekyll and Hyde character who lulled his victims into a false sense of security before brutally raping them (Sept 27).

Detective Sergeant Astbury, from Bromley CID, said he fully expects the floodgates to open and many more victims to come forward following the rapist's conviction at the Old Bailey last week.

Edwards, who used to live in High Wycombe, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of Miss D, 23, in his south east London flat in August 1998. He has stood trial for rape seven times but has only been convicted and jailed on two previous occasions.

Det Sgt Astbury said: "From what we know, Edwards raped a woman once every two years. We really believe there will be many, many more coming forward after this trial."

Edwards, 39, was nailed by the evidence of two brave victims from High Wycombe in a landmark case. They were among five women allowed by the judge to tell jurors about their ordeals, at the hands of Edwards, even though their cases against him were finished.

Det Sgt Astbury explained that it had been a long and arduous task catching Edwards.

He said: "He is an extremely clever man who managed to cover his tracks and integrate himself into the community throughout his 19-year reign of terror."

For full story see Friday's Bucks Free Press.