A PREDATORY rapist has been locked up for more than two decades for sex offences committed against multiple women.

Anthony Pilling, from Warrington, has been branded a dangerous offender by the police and courts over his actions.

The sentence came after he admitted preying on women in the west Yorkshire area.

The 43-year-old, of Mill Lane in Lymm, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court after pleading guilty to four charges of rape.

Three of the rape offences were committed against a woman over 24 hours this year, while another occurred in 2021.

The court heard Pilling had attacked both women in their own homes, with the offences taking place in the Halifax and Huddersfield areas.

He met them on dating apps and neither woman consented to the sexual activity.

It was heard that one of the victims was terrified and intimidated of the defendant, who ignored her pleas for him to stop and leave.

The court heard impact statements from both victims detailing the horrific impacts this offending has had, particularly psychologically.

Taking all into account, judge Tahir Khan sentenced Pilling, who appeared via video link from HM Prison Leeds, to 24 years in jail.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offender register for life and abide by the terms of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

The sentence handed down to the court was welcomed by PC Alexandra Oldham, of West Yorkshire Police’s Kirklees District Adult Safeguarding Unit.

She said: “We welcome the conviction of Pilling for shocking offences against two women in the very places where they should have expected to have felt safe.

“This substantial 24-year sentence reflects both the seriousness of the offences he committed and the devastating and long-lasting impact those offences had on his victims.

“I hope they can take some comfort from the sentence imposed on Pilling and knowing this dangerous, predatory, man will be off our streets for many years to come.”