Violent rapist jailed after 'double jeopardy' trial Khatkar, 37, of Moorside Crescent, Sinfin, Derby, has now been jailed for a minimum of 14 years after being found guilty of 18 offences including three rapes, sexual assault, assault by beating, and trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence. The successful prosecution of Khatkar is only the 13th time the CPS has applied to quash an acquittal since "double jeopardy" laws - preventing defendants being tried twice for the same offence - were scrapped. In a statement issued after the case, Steve Chappell, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS East Midlands, described the offences committed around Derby in February as terrifying and relentless. Mr Chappell said: "The way he went about attacking these women was so similar to the allegations he had previously faced, we asked the Court of Appeal to consider whether he should be retried for his original offences, on the basis that his subsequent offending provided new and compelling evidence and it was in the interests of justice for the case to be retried by a jury. The Court of Appeal allowed our application and he has now faced justice for all the offences he committed. The new evidence which formed the basis for our application to quash the acquittal was unrelated to the original offence, but showed a very similar pattern of behaviour. It was a terrifying experience for all Harbinder Khatkar's victims and they have shown great courage in coming to court to give evidence about what happened to them. Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, Alison Levitt QC, principal legal adviser at the CPS, stressed that the "exceptional power" to quash acquittals had been used sparingly since its introduction eight years ago. Ms Levitt said: "In 2005 the law was changed to allow what is called bad character evidence, which is evidence that somebody has done something so similar or of the same type of offence on another occasion. It's a very exceptional power. When something has gone wrong and the evidence is strong enough, as we said it was in this case, it is only right that we should use it. In December 2011, Khatkar repeatedly raped a woman and threatened her with death, but he was initially cleared after telling a number of elaborate lies. He was finally convicted of two counts of rape and sexual assault in the re-trial, in addition to the string of later offences. Detective Inspector Doug Naden, who led the Derbyshire Police inquiry, said: "Khatkar is a predatory sex offender who will rightly spend a long time behind bars reflecting on what he has done. These are some of the worst crimes imaginable and they have had a devastating and lasting impact on the victims and their families. I would like to recognise the bravery and resilience the victims have shown throughout the investigation and in facing their attacker in court, which must have been incredibly traumatic.