"Violent and controlling" Chichester man found guilty of multiple rapes and abuse of five women

George de Bathe, 25, manipulated victims before “revealing his violent, controlling and sexually abusive tendencies” between 2015 and 2019 - police have revealed. He was found guilty of multiple charges, including six counts of rape and two counts of false imprisonment, at Portsmouth Crown Court on Tuesday, April 29.

Victims reported how De Bathe would threaten them with a knife and assault them so severely that they would lose consciousness. He controlled their actions, who they could see and when, what clothes they could wear, and also tracked their movements through their phones.

Four victims reported being raped or sexually assaulted by him on multiple occasions.

Detective constable Jon Petroulas of Sussex Police, said: “George de Bathe has shown a clear pattern of manipulating women, before revealing his violent, controlling and sexually abusive tendencies.

“Each of these women’s lives was made a misery by de Bathe, and they must live with the trauma of his crimes. They have shown incredible courage to share their experiences with Sussex Police and support what has been a long and complex investigation through to its conclusion.”

The victims were all teens at the time of the offending and are now in their 20s. In April 2018, one victim reported the abuse to the police and also contacted multiple women to warn them and see if they had similar experiences.

De Bathe, of North Mead in Chichester, was subsequently arrested with Sussex Police contacting other women named by the initial victim with four other victims identified.

In January 2024, De Bathe was charged with six counts of rape, eight counts of actual bodily harm, five counts of coercive and controlling behaviour, two counts of sexual assault, two counts of false imprisonment and one count of making threats to kill.

Yesterday (April 29) at court, he was found guilty of all charges except one count of actual bodily harm, which he was found not guilty of.

Karen Cushing from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “George De Bathe subjected these women to significant pressure and manipulation, often threatening them and, on occasions, following through on those threats with physical violence.

“None of us can imagine the terror they experienced as a result of his controlling and coercive behaviour, ensuring that once he had cut them off from those closest to them, he could then dictate every part of their lives and even depriving them of sleep.

“The appalling impact that he had on the victims was clear from both their testimony and from those who were closest to them, who all talked about the changes in the behaviour they had seen in their loved ones.

“We would like to thank the victims in this case for speaking out. Despite claiming to one woman that the police couldn’t touch him and that we would never prosecute him, with their evidence, we were able to build a strong and compelling case against De Bathe to bring him to justice on behalf of the women that he tried so hard to manipulate and control.”

Deputy officer in charge, detective constable Maddie Ursell, said: “This case is another reminder of the importance of schemes such as Clare’s Law, which allows the police to disclose if a new partner has a violent criminal history.

“Sussex Police is a leading force in Clare’s Law disclosures, providing potentially life-saving information quicker than ever before. For more information, visit Request information under Clare's Law: Make a Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) application | Sussex Police”

De Bathe will sentenced on Friday, July 11 at Portsmouth Crown Court.

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