A predator who targeted women leaving Dundee University’s library fled after neighbours intervened when they heard harrowing cries as he attempted to rape one victim.
Derek Lewis attacked two women on the same evening and also entered a flat as an intruder and took knives from the kitchen.
A judge told Lewis, 40, his actions on the night of February 20 this year sent “shockwaves through the wider community”.
He pled guilty to attempted rape, assault and threatening or abusive behaviour when he appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh on Wednesday.
Lewis admitted assaulting one woman at Kirk Lane by following her, attempting to engage her in conversation and seizing her from behind, covering her mouth with his hands and struggling with her.
Unemployed Lewis, formerly of Tulloch Court, Hilltown, further admitted sexually assaulting and attempting to rape a woman at King Street.
He followed and grabbed her, dragged her by the body and repeatedly pushed her to the ground.
He held and restrained the woman, sat on her legs, tried to take off his trousers and pulled down her lower clothing and molested her.
Footage of the second attack was played to the court, during which cries from the woman and her pleas for help could be heard.
Two targeted
Advocate depute Ross Price told the court the first woman to be attacked left the university library and went to a supermarket before starting to walk home.
Lewis tried to talk to the 28-year-old but she ignored him until she was grabbed from behind.
Mr Price said: “The accused covered the complainer’s mouth with his hand as she was trying to scream.”
She struggled with her assailant, who let her go.
The prosecutor said a car drove past during the attack and the woman believes this prompted Lewis to let her go.
The second woman, aged 50, was studying at the university library and as she walked home became aware of Lewis behind her.
She tried to flee but he grabbed her and pulled her into an area of bushes where he sexually assaulted her.
The woman told him to stop but he told her not to make any noise.
She pleaded with her attacker who seemed intent on rape and told him she had cancer as she tried to halt the ordeal.
The court heard a neighbour was alerted by his partner and he looked out and saw Lewis on top of the woman and heard her plead “help me”.
He ran out and called: “What the f**k are you doing?”.
Another neighbour called police and Lewis was traced through CCTV.
‘Shockwaves in community’
He also pled guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive way by entering a flat in the city without the knowledge or consent of the occupants and taking knives from the kitchen.
The predator said during an interview he had no recollection of the incidents and said he had started taking drugs again.
Lady Poole said: “You preyed on a series of people in the vicinity of a university.
“These are the sort of crimes that do not only impact on the victims but send shockwaves through the wider community.”
The judge told him: “You claim to have been on drugs at the time but that is an aggravating factor.”
She deferred sentence for the preparation of a background report with a risk assessment and Lewis was placed on the sex offenders register and remanded.
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