A dangerous sex beast who raped a woman in her Medway home at knifepoint after trying to gag her with duct tape has been jailed for life.

Philip Bradley, who has previous convictions for sex offences and violence, will have to serve a minimum of 12 years before the parole board considers his release.

He was not in the dock to hear the sentence as he was allowed to go to the cells after deciding he did not want to hear any more of the judge’s comments.

Judge Martin Joy called the facts of the case “chilling and stark” and added: “I had the opportunity to see him during the trial.

“A more sinister and dangerous person it is difficult to imagine.

“He appeared at one stage to be threatening people in court. The prosecutor made the point he had been threatened by the defendant.”

Bradley, of Frazier Street, Southwark, south London, was last month convicted of rape, attempted kidnap, making a threat to kill, having a bladed article, assault and damaging property.

A jury heard he attacked the victim at her house in Gillingham after she allowed him to stay the night, sleeping downstairs.

The 53-year-old waited until the early hours and then went to her bedroom and tried to cover her mouth with tape.

He did not succeed but he put a knife he had taken from the kitchen to her throat and then raped her. Terrified, she kept quiet so as not to wake her children.

Bradley went downstairs and made a “half-hearted attempt” to cut his wrists. He eventually left after making her promise not to tell anybody he had raped her.

The woman did not go straight to the police but told members of her family what had happened.

Bradley continued to harass her and made threats to kill her.

He returned to the house later and broke in by removing a window. Bradley threatened a man staying there with a knife.

He then woke up the woman, again at knifepoint. He told her to dress and “marched” her out of the house, telling her he was going to kill her.

The victim had put a panic alarm in her knickers and pressed it repeatedly.

Police officers arrived quickly and she was freed. Bradley ran off but was soon arrested.

Judge Joy said if he had passed a determinate sentence for the offences it would have totalled 24 years.

Bradley had amassed 91 previous offences for 36 convictions, two of which were for sex assaults in 1989 and 1998.

The first involved an attack while armed with a knife and the second happened when he gave a teenage girl a lift.

A restraining order was made banning him from contacting his latest victim. His name will appear on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.