Shane Gibbs, 35, of no fixed address, was arrested at a Portsmouth hotel on 4 January 2024.
He was found guilty of multiple offences against four women and two girls at Lewes Crown Court in November 2024.
Police first became aware of Gibbs’ offending on December 24, 2023, and an urgent search was launched to locate him.
Enquiries linked Gibbs to six attacks during December.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service, Gibbs would ply his victims with drugs and alcohol to such an extent that they were incapable of preventing him raping and sexually abusing them.
All of the victims were supported by specialist officers while Gibbs was arrested.
He was subsequently charged with eight counts of rape, five counts of sexual assault by penetration and one count each of intentional strangulation, false imprisonment and causing actual bodily harm.
He denied all the charges and at Lewes Crown Court on Friday, November 29, he was found guilty of all charges except one count of rape, of which he was found not guilty.
Shane Gibbs (Image: Sussex Police)
Detective Superintendent Ben Newman said: “From the moment we were made aware of Gibbs’ offending, we have worked tirelessly with our partners and other forces to protect his victims and ensure he was held to account for his crimes.
“Complex investigations such as these rely on the collaboration of a huge number of people, and I would like to thank everyone involved for their outstanding work.
“Victims sit at the heart of all of our investigations, and as a force we have undertaken a full review of how we investigate rape and other serious sexual offences to give us the best possible chance of catching offenders, while supporting their victims.
“If you are a victim of sexual offending, please report to us in the confidence you will be heard and supported, and we will do absolutely everything we can to secure the justice you deserve.”
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