Police are certain a prisoner who killed himself while awaiting trial for rape was guilty and were about to charge him with a string of other offences.

DNA tests showed the chances of Rashid Kausmally not being the knife-wielding rapist of a 26-year-old in Queensbury Mews, Brighton, last month were a billion to one.

Last night detectives revealed they were set to charge the 48-year-old, of Bear Road, Brighton, with up to 21 offences, many of them knifepoint street robberies.

Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Moore said: "The measure of how dangerous this man was could be seen in the scale of the police operation.

"From our point of view, it is a shame we will not see our day in court and neither will the victims, but we are now able to say we are certain a dangerous man who committed a number of serious offences will not be free to walk the streets and commit further offences."

Kausmally was found dead in the hospital wing at Lewes Prison early yesterday.

His death brings to a close Sussex Police's Operation Tank, which saw up to 40 officers investigating at least ten terrifying attacks in Brighton and Hove between October and December.

DNA evidence taken from the rape victim and run through a database of offenders produced Kausmally as the prime suspect.

He had convictions for similar offences involving attacks on women with knives.

Last year he was released from prison, where he had served part of a three-year sentence for abducting a woman.

Details of the cases have been made available to the coroner for an inquest to be held later.

Kausmally, who was born in Mauritius but had lived in Brighton for more than 20 years, suffered from Parkinson's disease.

Police were able to catch him because of his need for regular prescriptions.

He was arrested on January 11 in a chemist's shop in London.

Mr Moore said: "The people of Brighton and Hove, particularly women, are much safer since the time of this man's arrest."