Joseph McCann, 34, has been jailed for a minimum of 30 years
Joseph McCann, 34, from Aylesbury has been handed 33 life sentences following a string of attacks on 11 women and children.
Over 15 days, he abducted, raped and assaulted victims, aged between 11 and 71.
The offences began in the early hours of Sunday, 21 April when he kidnapped a woman in Watford.
He went on to target other individuals in Waltham Forest, Lancashire, Manchester, and Cheshire.
A large manhunt ensued as McCann travelled across England and continued to attack women and girls.
The last seven victims were all targeted in the space of several hours on Sunday, 5 May.
The flurry of attacks helped police locate McCann, who was arrested in the early hours of Monday, 6 May after he spent five hours hiding up a tree.
The jury unanimously found McCann guilty of all 37 charges against him following a month-long trial which concluded on Friday, 6 December.
On Monday, 9 December at the Old Bailey, the Judge, Mr Justice Edis, called McCann: “A coward, a violent bully and a paedophile” who had carried out a campaign of rape, violence and abduction of a level he had never seen or heard of before.
“You have never expressed a word of regret or concern for your victims. You are entirely obsessed with yourself and believe you are entitled to use other people in any way you want. You think that other people exist only for your pleasure,” he said.
“You are a classic psychopath; I don’t think you will ever cease to be dangerous.”
He sentenced McCann to 33 life sentences to be served concurrently, with a minimum term of 30 years in jail.
McCann was also sentenced to three ten-year sentences and a 14-year sentence, all to be served concurrently with the above.
As with the trial, McCann, did not appear at court for sentencing, citing a bad back for his failure to appear.
Police described that from the point of his arrest, he refused to engage with them, with lawyers at one point having to travel to Belmarsh Prison for an earlier hearing.
The judge finished his remarks praising the bravery of all 11 victims.
In a written statement read out in court, one of McCann’s victims said she no longer feels safe in the world following her ordeal.
“Since this happened, I have had to move house as my road and neighbourhood were all full of reminders and I felt acutely aware that everyone on my road knew what had happened,” she said.
“There has been a significant change in my lifestyle. I used to be very independent with no fear of going out and doing things alone.”
Detective Chief Inspector Katherine Goodwin, who led the investigation, said: “McCann is one of the most dangerous offenders this country has ever seen and the sentence handed down today is a reflection of his heinous crimes.
“Although the criminal proceedings are over, we should never forget that the 11 individuals who were subjected to McCann’s completely evil actions will have to live with those memories for the rest of their lives.
“Their unwavering support for the police investigation and the evidence they gave in court meant the jury had no choice but to see McCann for the depraved individual he really was.”
Tags: east London, Walthamstow, Waltham Forest
