A DANGEROUS sex attacker who chased a woman through Knutsford was jailed for life yesterday.

Andrew Humphris, 36, had followed the terrified woman driver to Knutsford sorting office in the early hours.

As she pulled into Parkgate Lane, he rammed her car with the intention of sexually assaulting her.

But he was thwarted when she sought help from staff at the sorting office.

What she did not know was that only hours earlier he had bitten off part of a prostitute's tongue in Blackpool.

At Preston Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday) the former delivery driver was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in Blackpool, wounding a prostitute and chasing the woman through Knutsford because he wanted to sexually assault her.

The jury found him not guilty of allegedly wounding a woman and attempting to kidnap another young woman. However, Humphris received a life sentence for wounding the prostitute because of his previous convictions for sexual attacks.

The incidents, which included attempted rape and indecent assault, dated back about 17 years.

Sentencing him to life, the judge Robert Brown said: "In my view these offences coupled with your previous offending demonstrates that you area very dangerous man.

"On this occasion you were of the mind to engage in sexual activities with a series of women and of a mind at the same time to use great violence."

None of his victims were available to comment. But Superintendent Ian Jones, of Lancashire Police, said Humphris could have hurt more women if officers had not arrested him.

"I do not think it is overstating matters to say that we could easily have been dealing with offences of rape and murder," he said.

Last week officials at Preston Crown Court banned the media from identifying Humphris' victims. One mother had described how Humphris grabbed her breasts, pulled her hair and prodded her crotch with his fingers after midnight on October 29.

The jury then heard how the sex attacker bit off part of a prostitute's tongue before he kicked and punched her. Humphris' third victim later described how she confronted him in Knutsford at about 4.15am on October 29.

The woman said she was frightened after the man chased her car for five miles and rammed it in Parkgate Lane.

He was arrested in Ipswich on Saturday October 30 following a nationwide search.