UK News 07-11-2002 1,000 Respond To Face Of Rapist who: Detective Superintendent Mark Warwick what: Delighted with massive response to e-fit of "Trophy Rapist" where: GUILDFORD when: Yesterday snippet: "Police phonelines received more than 1,000 calls yesterday," begins The Independent today, "after they released the first `picture` of a serial rapist responsible for at least 10 assaults in the South-east." In what detectives described as a "significant breakthrough", an electronic image of the sex offender was compiled by his latest victim, a 14-year-old girl. She is the only person to catch sight of the man, nicknamed the "trophy rapist" because of his habit of taking a souvenir from each attack. The Sun runs its own campaign against the man who has now attacked ten times, asking its "ten million readers" to print out posters of the e-fit and display them across the country. Police believe that they have the rapist`s DNA, adds The Guardian, "but so far the sample has not been matched on national databases. Up to 1,000 men, including known sex offenders, have given police DNA samples and been eliminated as potential suspects." Most victims were attacked in daylight, continues The Guardian report. "Two were walking their dogs, and two were riding bicycles. All were grabbed from behind and restrained. After raping a 26-year-old in woodland on Putney Common in July, he stole her mobile phone and rang her mother to boast of what he had done." Police are confident of catching the attacker - not least because he tends to attack in public, visible places during the day. "We have always said he is a risk-taker," confirmed DS Warwick at a press conference yesteday. "That`s part of his method. By taking risks at some point in time he`s going to slip up and give information away." [... more]

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