Former X-Factor contestant Phillip Blackwell has been given 17 life sentences for sexually assaulting nine women between 1997 and 2019 across the UK.
The 55-year-old was described by a judge as the most dangerous offender he had encountered in his career. Shocking details of his crimes heard by the court included the level of violence used against victims, his attempts to conceal his identity with a fake Irish accent, and the fact that he captured
some of the assaults on film.
Despite his string of life sentences, the serial rapist will be eligible for parole in nine years. In 2008 the former teacher appeared on ITV’s X-Factor with his bizarre performance of ‘Gold’ by Spandau Ballet, in which the predator sang the song’s last note for an uncomfortably long time. He went on to criticise the unimpressed judges, describing Cheryl Cole as ‘gutless’.
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