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 for 25 years.

Alex Patel-Wills, 26, of Grove Road, Barnet, was sentenced 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.

She was supported by specialist officers, and Patel-Wills was arrested shortly afterwards.

Further enquiries over the following weeks identified four more victims, with offences spanning from 2018 to 2021.

One woman, who was known to Patel-Wills and was in her late teens at the time, reported being raped and sexually abused by him on multiple occasions in Brighton between 2018 and 2019.

Around the same period, another woman in her late teens reported being raped by Patel-Wills at a property in London while she was in a vulnerable state.

Two further victims came forward in relation to incidents in 2020.

In May of that year, Patel-Wills sexually assaulted a woman at a property on the University of Sussex campus.

Four months later, another woman reported being raped at his home in Brighton.

Patel-Wills was charged with five counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and two counts of assault by penetration, and was remanded in custody.

Following a trial at Lewes Crown Court, a jury found him guilty of offences relating to every victim.

He was convicted of 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.

The judge sentenced Patel-Wills to 25 years, made up of 19 years in custody and a further six years on extended licence.

Detective Constable Vicki Blythe praised the victims for coming forward.

She 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.”

She added that Sussex Police remains committed to supporting victims of sexual offences and urged anyone affected to report incidents in confidence online, via 101, or by calling 999 in an emergency.