A sex offender faces another stretch in prison after being convicted of attacking a woman in Brighton and flashing at two others.
Michael Phillips, 35, was convicted at Lewes Crown Court today (Wednesday 22 February) of sexually assaulting a 28-year-old woman in Church Street, Brighton, on Thursday 1 September.
He indecently exposed himself to a 35-year-old woman in Madeira Drive, Brighton, on Tuesday 9 August and to a 23-year-old woman at Duke’s Mound, Brighton, on Thursday 11 August.
He was remanded in custody for sentencing at the same court on Thursday 22 March.
Phillips was released from prison on Friday 15 July at the expiry of a ten-year sentence for the rape and indecent assault of an 18-year-old woman in Brighton.
He had also been convicted of offences of exposure in Hove in 2008, having been released from prison on licence.
He was recalled to prison as a result.
However, in 2011, as his sentences had expired, he was released.
Sussex Police today explained the legal constraints that meant that they could keep Phillips under surveillance but had to wait until he had committed an offence before arresting him.
He had not been subject of an indeterminate prison sentence because his conviction for rape pre-dated a change in the law.
The police became the lead agency for managing him under the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) as a registered sex offender. He was being managed at Level 3, which is the highest level under MAPPA.
Detective Superintendent Nev Kemp, who led the six-week police operation, said: “Professionals from our partner agencies dealing with Phillips all agreed that on release he would continue to pose a high risk of reoffending, primarily of sexually offending against women in general and there are no legal controls available to adequately allow us to manage such a broad risk and confidently prevent any such assault.
“We therefore developed detailed plans to monitor his behaviour, which included exhaustive daily surveillance over many weeks which ultimately resulted in his arrest and conviction.
“Officers observed Phillips hiding in bushes watching women and often changing his clothes in an effort to reduce the likelihood of his being identified.
“The very uncomfortable reality for us was that we had to wait for Phillips to commit or attempt to commit an offence while doing our best to ensure that if he did we were in a position to intervene to protect the public and bring him to justice.
“He was arrested on suspicion of exposure to a woman in Southover Street, Brighton, on 17 July, but police consulted the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), who advised that there was insufficient evidence to justify criminal proceedings.
