A former University of Sussex student who raped or sexually assaulted five women, including four fellow students, has been convicted at court.
Alex Patel-Wells, 26, of Grove Road in Barnet, was convicted at Lewes Crown Court on Thursday (16 October).
Sussex Police launched an investigation after a woman reported being raped by Patel-Wells at a property in Brighton on 31 October, 2021.
The victim was supported by specialist officers while Patel-Wells was arrested on suspicion of rape shortly after.
Over the following weeks, further enquiries identified four more victims spanning several years from 2018 to 2021.
A woman in her then-late teens, who was known to Patel-Wells, reported being raped and sexually abused by him on multiple occasions in Brighton between 2018 and 2019.
At around the same time, a woman also in her late teens was raped by Patel-Wells at a property in London while in a vulnerable state.
Two more women reported being raped in 2020 – in May, 2020, Patel-Wells sexually assaulted a woman at a property on campus in and, four months later, raped another woman at his home in Brighton.
He was subsequently charged with five counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and two counts of assault by penetration, and remanded in custody.
The jury found Patel-Wells guilty of offences relating to every victim, namely four counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual assault by penetration.
He was found not guilty of one count of rape and one count of assault by penetration.
Following Thursday’s verdicts, he has been remanded in custody to be sentenced at Lewes Crown Court on 19 December.
Detective Constable Vicki Blythe said: “Patel-Wells is a committed sexual offender, who targeted multiple women.
“Each of these brave women has shown incredible courage to report and support this investigation. Thanks to their help, a predatory offender has been convicted and will now face a significant prison sentence.
“Sussex Police is committed to supporting victims of sexual offending and doing all we can to secure the justice they deserve. If you are a victim of sexual offending, please report to us in confidence online, via 101 or by calling 999 in an emergency.”
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