Former Sussex student jailed for raping and sexually assaulting women

A former University of Sussex student who raped or sexually assaulted five women, including four fellow students, has been jailed.

Alex Patel-Wills, 26, of Grove Road in Barnet, was sentenced to 25 years at Lewes Crown Court on Friday (19 December).

Sussex Police launched an investigation after a woman reported being raped by Patel-Wills at a property in Brighton on 31 October, 2021.

The victim was supported by specialist officers while Patel-Wills 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-Wills, 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-Wills at a property in London while in a vulnerable state.

Two more women reported being raped in 2020 - in May, 2020, Patel-Wills 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.

At Lewes Crown Court on Thursday, 16 October, the jury found Patel-Wills 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.

Patel-Wills’ sentence will be served as 19 years in custody, with a further six on extended licence.

Detective Constable Vicki Blythe said: “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to these brave women for reporting Alex Patel-Wills’ crimes to the police and helping us put him behind bars.

“Every perpetrator brought to justice makes Sussex a safer place for women and girls, and we will continue to work hard to prevent offending, hold offenders to account and support victims.

“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.”