Australian police identify serial rapist almost 40 years after first attack

Australian police have managed to identify a serial rapist after almost 40 years. The man, named Keith Simms, attacked 31 women between 1985 and 2001 in Sydney.

He was known as "the Bondi Beast" or "the Tracksuit Rapist." He would abduct his victims while they would be out jogging or enter their homes and attack them. The authorities had been trying to find the man responsible for these attacks for decades, but were only able to find any links between them in the 2000s.

According to a BBC report, the detectives involved in the case were able to identify him with the help of DNA technology. His last attack took place in 2001. They found that DNA from 12 of the victims were the same, while the modus operandi was similar in at least 19 incidents.

The major breakthrough in the case came in 2019 after police found a familial DNA match in their database. This helped them narrow their search and eventually led them to Simms.

The police said that he targeted women between the ages of 14 and 55. His victims identified him as 160-180cm tall, with a dark complexion, brown eyes and a wide nose.

He would keep his face covered and wore casual clothes like tracksuits and football shorts. He would threaten his victims with a knife. Unfortunately, the man passed away before the victims could get any justice. Simms died in February this year.

His family was in absolute shock and found it difficult to believe that he could do something like this. They described him as a loving father, grandfather and community member.

"We met with his wife and she was absolutely shocked," detective Sergeant Shelley Johns told The Daily Telegraph. "She couldn't believe the man she knew could have done these things."

The investigators have informed his victims that their attacker has been identified. However, no legal action can be taken due to his death.