Warped boyfriend who controlled and inflicted sex attacks on five women is jailed for 17 years

George de Bathe carried out multiple rapes on the women between 2015 and 2019 while subjecting the victims to a catalogue of physical, sexual and psychological violence.

The defendant was jailed at Portsmouth Crown Court for 17 years with a five-year extended licence - taking the total sentence period to 22 years. He smiled as he was taken down to begin his sentence.

All of the victims are now women in their 20s, but were in their mid to late teens at the time of the offending, the court heard.

Bathe, 25, of North Mead in Chichester, sought to control their actions during separate relationships, from who they could see and when, to the clothes they could wear.

He would use violence and threats to exert control over them, including threats with a knife and assaults so severe they would lose consciousness. Some victims were stopped from going to work, had their movements tracked through their mobile phones and locked in his car while he drove dangerously.

Four of the victims reported being raped or sexually assaulted by him, some on multiple occasions. In April, 2018, one of the victims reported to Sussex Police she had been abused by de Bathe over a period of several months.

She also contacted multiple women connected with de Bathe, to warn them of his behaviour and see if they had had similar experiences. De Bathe was arrested and bailed under strict conditions while evidence was gathered.

Police made contact with the other women named by the initial victim and, over the course of the investigation, four additional victims were identified.

In January, 2024, following a complex investigation, 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.

Following a trial at Portsmouth Crown Court, de Bathe was found guilty of all charges except one count of actual bodily harm, of which he was found not guilty. He has now been locked away for his crimes.

Judge William Ashworth said: “Your behaviour was callous, cold and calculating. You are a dangerous offender with little or no remorse.

“Listening to the victim impact statements has been a very humbling experience and they are five incredibly strong and brave young women. The impact of the trial process on them has been profound.”