Sex workers feared for their lives at the hands of Northampton rapist who abused them for hours in his campervan, court hears

Ian Dunbar, 42, of Dallington Road, led a campaign of rape against his victims in which he targetted vulnerable women, threatened them and arranged his attacks so they could not escape.

One victim told Northampton Crown Court she feared for her life and believed she would "leave in a body bag" or be buried at the scene.

"These were deeply traumatic and terrifying experiences for these two women," said Her Honour Judge Adrienne Lucking as she sentenced him for nine counts of rape.

"One of them described it as torture... You took them to the middle of nowhere where they couldn't get away."

The court heard how Dunbar acted friendly to his victims when he picked them up in his campervan, and bought them sandwiches and beer to make them comfortable.

But when the girls realised they were had been driven to a secluded car park, they told Dunbar how scared they were and they wanted to back out.

It was then he would reveal his true personality. He used threats to order them into the back of the van before abusing them for hours.

His first victim, in May 2017, immediately called the police after the ordeal.

Judge Lucking said: "After dropping off your second victim [in November 2017], she told you she would go to the police.

"You threw a £20 note in her face as if she was of no value and drove off.

"But she recorded your licence plate, and if not for her clear thinking you might have offended again."

Dunbar was convicted of all charges by a jury. The court heard he attempted to deep clean his van after the attacks to destroy forensic evidence.

In an impact statement, one of the victims said they were no longer the same person and felt they "would never be able to put it behind them".

Dunbar was jailed for an extended sentence of 25 years and will be on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.