A SERIAL rapist who despised women and believed he had the right to force them to have sex has been jailed for life.

David Harber, formerly of Newton Abbot, raped four different women and forced a vulnerable young man into taking part in humiliating sex acts with him.

He met the women over two decades while living in the town and in Honiton, Exeter and Sussex. His victims included a 14-year-old babysitter and an arthritis patient who he raped in hospital.

He was locked up for life after a judge said he had a controlling attitude to women and used sexual violence to punish them if they tried to resist.

Harber already had a conviction for under-age sex when he met his first victim in about 2002. He then went on to dominate and abuse the four women.

He groomed victims by giving them cannabis or amphetamines and forced them to have sex with friends or criminal associates. He kept the male victim as a virtual slave and tried to throttle him when he tried to resist.

A judge told him he used his victims for sexual gratification, had an extremely misogynistic attitude towards women and a sense of entitlement to sex.

He was found guilty of 30 counts of rape by a jury at Exeter Crown Court in February but reporting of his trial has been banned until now pending the conclusion of a related case.

Harber, 46, of Bexhill-on-Sea, was found guilty of 30 rapes, seven of inciting rape by others, one of assault causing actual bodily harm and two of sexual activity with a child.

He was handed a minimum term of 14 years by Judge Erik Salomonsen in February but the case could not be reported until a Contempt of Court Order was lifted at the end of a related case, in which the defendant was acquitted.

The judge told him: ‘There are a number of common themes in relation to the four female victims, three of whom were specifically vulnerable.

‘You became ever more controlling and your sexual demands more frequent and in the cases of anal sex, always unacceptable.

‘I have seen all the victim impact statements. They have all suffered depression and psychological damage. They will all suffer the consequences for years to come.’

During a trial at Exeter in January and February, the jury heard how Harber met the first victim in about 2002 and forced her to have anal sex against her will on two occasions.

Two years later he met a 14-year-old babysitter who he groomed for sex and abused more than 50 times before she was 16, causing her to become pregnant and have an abortion.

He forced her to have anal sex on her 18th birthday and repeated the assaults many times, including one occasion when he forced her to have sex while she was in a hospital bed and being treated for a painful arthritic condition.

He groomed his next victim by giving her cannabis before raping her and forcing her to have sex with men he knew while she was under the influence of amphetamines.

He moved on to his next victim shortly afterwards and used rape as a punishment and means of enforcing his control.

Harber met his final victim at a hostel after he was released from prison for an arson offence in which he set light to his council flat in the hope of being moved to better accommodation.

The male victim, 21, had learning disabilities and was extremely vulnerable.

After the reporting restrictions were lifted, Detective Inspector Simon Costin, from Devon and Cornwall Police sexual offences and domestic abuse investigation team, said: ‘I am satisfied that justice has been done for the victims of David Harber and I want to personally acknowledge the bravery of the victims in coming forward, and remaining strong throughout the investigation and court process.

‘It has taken a dedicated team many hours over a two-year period to show David Harber for what he is. It is fair to say that his treatment of his victims can be described as ‘sexually motivated torture’ and there is no question in my mind that the only place for him is prison.

‘David Harber considered himself above the law and kept his victims in fear. I hope this has shown that no one is above the law and when such crimes are reported to the police we will robustly investigate and bring offenders to justice.’