FREE TO STRIKE AGAIN
As Britain reels at the release of two serial sex offenders, the police officer who put Tyneside repeat rapist Anthony Curran in prison tells of his horror at his freedom
SERIAL rapist Anthony Curran is back on our streets after being freed early from prison.
The evil predator was handed an indefinite sentence in 2009 after he was convicted of two violent sex attacks on strangers in the seaside towns of Cullercoats and Whitley Bay.
At the time the case sparked outrage when it emerged Curran had been released early after being jailed for another violent rape in 2002.
But he is now free once again, after serving a nine-year minimum term imposed by his trial judge.
Friends of Curran’s victims fear he may return to Cullercoats, where he is thought to have family.
And today as the row over the release of London black cab rapist John Worboys continues, questions are being asked about why another violent serial rapist has been released on to our streets.
Former Northumbria Police detective Nigel Wilkinson led the investigation into Curran’s crimes on Tyneside.
He told the Chronicle he was horrified to discover he was out.
He said: “You could not make this up. How can this man ever be regarded as safe to release?
“Would those making the decision be happy to have him for a neighbour?
“This is a repeating nightmare for his numerous victims. At what point, or after how many offences, does such a man be regarded as never fit for release? How bad does it have to get?”
And the retired Detective Chief Inspector said it was time the Parole Board listened to victims and experts.
He added: “Much more weight needs to be taken to the views of experts in this field, the officer in the case, and particularly those of the victims.”
Criminology Professor Nicole Westmarland from Durham University, who is a nationally renowned expert in the field of rape and domestic violence, echoed his concerns.
She said: “This raises questions again, about whether the prison service has the skills and resources needed to manage serial sexually violent offenders.
“Just as questions have been asked about the Worboys release, we need to think here about the impact this will have on the survivors who bravely came forward to give evidence previously, and the women and children that will be living in his locality in the future.
“Greater reassurances are needed about post-release offender management in this case.”
Curran was jailed for six years in 2002 after being convicted of a violent rape on an ex-prostitute he had lured back to his flat, in the St Hilda’s area of Teesside.
But he was released on licence just three years later and moved to Wallsend.
He was known to make regular visits to Cullercoats to visit his mother, and walk her dog. And it was in the seaside village that he found his next victim, in December 2007.
In a chilling pre-meditated attack, the predator let himself into the woman’s home as she slept, and crept past her boyfriend, who was asleep on the sofa.
He then climbed into bed with the woman and raped her.
However, it was not until he struck again, eight months later, that police were able to link Curran to this terrifying attack.
This time, his victim was a mum-of-three who was walking home following a night out in Whitley Bay.
Curran offered to walk the woman home after meeting her outside Deep nightclub. He dragged her on to wasteland near an advertising billboard off Hillheads Road, and raped her.
Curran was arrested shortly after the second attack and was later linked to the Cullercoats rape by DNA evidence taken from two hairs found in the woman’s bed.
A jury at Newcastle Crown Court found him guilty of both attacks.
In sentencing him to an indeterminate sentence, Judge John Milford branded Curran as “highly dangerous”.
He said: “You are a man who obtains sexual satisfaction from rape. It is forcing your victims to submit to rape that excites you. Even serving a six-year sentence did not deter you. In my view you are not just dangerous, but highly dangerous.”
The decision to release serial sex offender Worboys, from Hackney, has sparked fury and political debate over the management of serious sex offenders.
Prime Minister Theresa May has called for greater transparency in Parole Board decisions, supporting the demands of victims to be given more information about when and why their attackers are let out of jail.
And last week a cross-party group of MPs, including a number of North East members, called on then justice secretary David Lidington to “urgently investigate” the parole board’s decision.
Worboys was given an indefinite jail term in 2009 and told he must serve a minimum of eight years after he was found guilty of 19 charges of drugging and sexually assaulting 12 women.
Police have linked him with 83 crimes committed between 2006 and 2008, and more women came forward after the court case, bringing the potential total number of victims to 102. And it has now emerged that a serial sex offender from County Durham, who was dubbed the “M25 rapist”, has also been referred for parole. Railway worker Antoni Imiela was given seven life sentences at Maidstone Crown Court in 2004 for a series of stranger rapes across the Home Counties against women and girls as young as 10. A spokesman for the Parole Board said: “We can confirm that the Ministry of Justice has referred the case of Antoni Imiela for a parole review. The review is following the standard six-month process for all indeterminate sentence prisoners and will be reviewed on the papers in the first instance. The review may be concluded on the papers or alternatively it may be directed to an oral hearing.”
The Chronicle understands Curran has been housed in ‘approved premises’ and is subject to strict monitoring.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said that while he was unable to comment on individual cases, all ‘high risk’ offenders face strict conditions after their release.
He said: “All offenders must meet strict criteria and pass a full-risk assessment before being considered for release. We are clear that those who do not comply with the conditions of their licence will face tough consequences, including being returned to closed prisons.
“High-risk offenders on licence are subject to a strict set of conditions, which may include exclusion zones and non-contact orders, and may be managed by a range of agencies including the police and probation service.
“Specific arrangements will be determined by the circumstances of each offender. Failure to comply with licence conditions can result in recall to prison.”