An escaped prisoner who launched violent attacks against elderly women in their own homes has been jailed for life today.

Lee Cyrus, 48, went missing from HMP North Sea Camp open prison while on a day release.

He then launched a terrifying crime wave which included a string of sex offences. Armed with a knife and disguising himself in a black balaclava, Cyrus stalked lone vulnerable women.

In one attack, Cyrus appeared in the bedroom of an 81-year-old woman armed with a kitchen knife and wearing a black face mask. He demanded money and took her bag which contained cash, credit card, photos of her grandchildren.

In another incident, Cyrus hit a 61-year-old woman with a four foot metal bar across the face after she opened her front door to him.

Police described Cyrus as a forensically aware “predator” who relied on the “utmost cowardly approach in selecting victims – lone vulnerable women in open spaces or in their homes, to whom he used excessive and unnecessary violence”.

Cyrus, also known as Ivan Leach, received sentences ranging from two years to life for offences at Southwark Crown Court. All sentences are to run concurrently.

Speaking after the sentencing today, Detective Sergeant James Mason, who led the investigation, said: “This was a complex investigation which saw a combination of evidence gathered from CCTV, mobile phone cell location, clothing, several key witnesses and various evidence which was presented at the court to bring to justice this very dangerous man.

” I’d like to pay tribute to the unfortunate victims who all suffered at the hands of this violent offender.”

The court was also told that Cyrus indecently exposed himself to a women at Boston Cemetery, Lincolnshire.  Several crimes of indecent exposure also took place in the Hampstead Heath area of north London. In one incident,  Cyrus indecently exposed himself to a 52-year-old woman.

Cyrus also attacked a 63-year-old woman on her doorstep with a piece of wood /stone after ringing the buzzer of a home in Hampstead Heath.

It caused a 1.5cm deep laceration to her head.

He was eventually captured after police received a call from a member of the public who recognised Cyrus from a leaflet issued by police.

Officers attended the area and another later call was received about an incident in which Cyrus, waiting in the shadows late that night, leapt out and exposed himself to a woman who was walking home alone, whom he said he was going to rape, detectives said.

Within minutes police officers spotted Cyrus by Highgate Cemetery and after a brief struggle he was arrested.

Cyrus was sentenced to life imprisonment for each of four offences. They included two counts of grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary and knifepoint robbery which all took place in November 2012.

Cyrus was sentenced to a total of two years for the five indecent offences.

He was sentenced to two years in total for burglary and affray which included threatening a 40-year-old woman with a 12 inch knife in Hampstead Heath in October 2012 and stealing an iPod and a bag containing a wallet, cash, cards and driving licence stolen from the home of a 24-year-old man in Barnet, north west London, in December 2012.

Acting Detective Superintendent Raffaele D’Orsi said: “It will take a significant

History of offending

He was jailed in 1999 for 14 months after admitting unlawful sex with a 13 year-old girl who said he had spiked her drink and threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the incident, a police spokeswoman said. She added that his catalogue of offending goes back to 1980.

Leach was jailed in 2005 for robbing a 90 year-old woman. He was given a life sentence with a minimum tariff of five years. He also has convictions for burglary and robbery and assault.

Previously, in 1984 he was jailed for seven years for robbing and burgling a 79 year-old woman in her sheltered accommodation flat, and striking her in the face and body with his fists. He has several other convictions for targeting elderly victims.

He also wounded a man and woman with a knife after an argument in 2001. In 1995 he was fined £150 for flashing a woman jogger

Since the 47-year-old went missing police in Tayside, Scotland, believe he has sexually assaulted a woman in her own home, and officers in Preston think he made sexual advances to two girls at a bus stop in the city. Det Supt Paul Withers, senior investigating officer for the force, today told the Evening Post more than 50 detectives are working on the case in Preston alone, with scores of officers in other counties looking for him. The last unconfirmed sighting of him was in Waverley Park, Ribbleton, at 7.40am on Thursday but sightings have also been reported in supermarkets, Ingol, the city centre and Ashton.

The 50 officers are probing possible new sightings and scouring areas of open land where he could be hiding out. Armed officers have been deployed to areas of reported sightings. On Wednesday officers searched 10 homes across the city of associates. Police are also visiting homeless shelters, soup kitchens and are responding to various pieces of intelligence such as people reported sleeping in tents.

Det Supt Withers said: “When you look at his offending behaviour all his life he has targeted massively vulnerable people – the elderly, children – with sex offences and offences of violence.”

Officers at Preston Police Operations Centre are sifting through the sightings and calls and say they have had an encouraging response from the public.

in the last 24 hours unconfirmed sightings have been reported in Orchard Street, Friargate, Moor Lane in the city centre as well as Waverley Park, Fletcher Road in Ribbleton, Village Green Lane, Granton Walk, Barry Ave, Tag Lane, Creswell Avenue and the golf club site – all Ingol – Thistleton Road in Larches and Morrisons at Preston Docks.

He has also reportedly been spotted in Asda and St Vincent’s Road in Fulwood, Seven Acres in Bamber Bridge and Tardy Gate, in Lostock Hall.

His continued disappearance appears to be causing panic across Preston with people reporting random sightings in posts on social networking websites.

Internet rumours he has snatched a child have been confirmed as untrue by police.

Det Supt Withers added: “He is either being housed by someone or looked after – and those people will be prosecuted and will go to jail for harbouring a criminal wanted for serious sexual offences.”

Officers are also considering the possibility someone may be harbouring him under duress because they are frightened of him and they have encouraged anyone in this situation to come forward.

More than 500 posters have been put up in venues around the city.