Sex attacker who terrorised women SMILED as he was jailed for life Lee Cyrus, also known as Ivan Leach, previously handed life sentence for robbing 90-year-old women for £12 Sparked nationwide manhunt in October last year after walking out of HMP North Sea Camp in Boston, Lincolnshire Targeted women in Boston before moving on to Hampstead Heath, London Lee Cyrus, also known as Ivan Leach, smiled as he was sentenced to life imprisonment in London A sex attacker who targeted vulnerable women during a campaign of violence while he was on the run from prison smiled as he was jailed for life today. Lee Cyrus, also known as Ivan Leach, was handed a life sentence in 2005 for robbing a 90-year-old widow at her home in Preston, Lancashire, for just £12. He sparked a nationwide manhunt in October last year after walking out of HMP North Sea Camp in Boston, Lincolnshire. Southwark Crown Court heard that he targeted women in Boston Cemetery and Crematorium, then travelled to Hampstead Heath, North London, in search of further victims. During his crime spree last autumn, he held a woman at knife-point and was carrying a blade when he smashed his way into an 81-year-old's home. Cyrus also injured one woman in the face with a metal bar on her doorstep, cutting her to the bone and leaving her with a 5cm scar. In a victim impact statement, she told how she was "haunted" by the vicious attack. Cyrus has spent most of his life in prison after receiving his first conviction for burglary aged 15. His "dreadful" list of crimes include a savage attack on Kathlyn Jackson, 92, who was left battered and bruised after he raided her home. Cyrus was also jailed for 14 months for having sex with a 13-year-old girl after giving her alcohol and pinning her down. He also branded the teenager with several tattoos during her ordeal in 1999. Cyrus was also jailed for six years in 2002 - but freed after two - for slashing a couple with a screwdriver after an argument. He has also carried out dozens of robberies and burglaries, mainly on elderly women. Cyrus repeatedly changed his appearance to evade detection. But the fugitive was eventually snared after a policeman spotted him walking along Highgate Hill, North London, in the early hours of December 2 last year. This picture shows Lee Cyrus as he was on the run from prison, sparking a nationwide manhunt, last autumn Sentencing him to life with a minimum of 11 years, Judge Deborah Taylor said: "You are clearly a manipulative man. The overwhelming picture is of you seeking out and preying on the vulnerability of woman on and around Hampstead Heath. You targeted women of all ages in any circumstances where you could do so. This was a series of planned, sexual and acquisitive crimes for which you have shown no remorse. The evidence [the victims] gave with fortitude and resolve was chilling. The terror of those you attacked was clear. There can be no doubt you are a dangerous man. You have a dreadful history of previous violent offending going back to 1980. Judge Taylor earlier said the level of supervision in the community on Cyrus was of "grave concern." He would have been handed a determinate sentence for 22 years had he not been locked up for life. Wearing a light blue T-shirt and glasses and sporting a full moustache, Cyrus muttered inaudibly to himself and smiled as the sentence was passed. He was already jailed for 45 days for absconding prison. During his month-long trial at the court, he insisted police had simply "got the wrong man." But a jury found Cyrus guilty of five counts of exposure, wounding with intent, unlawful wounding, affray, aggravated burglary, robbery and burglary. After escaping from prison in Lincolnshire, Cyrus made his way to Hampstead Heath, North London Prior to his escape, Cyrus had been living in lodgings close to the open prison being prepared for release in the community, and working in the nearby cemetery. The only restriction on his liberty was a requirement that he sign himself in and out when leaving, the court heard. The sexual offender failed to return to the prison lodgings on October 9 before boarding a London-bound coach on October 20. Prosecutor Christopher Amis told the jury: "For six weeks, Lee Cyrus, on a number of occasions whilst armed with a knife and wearing a black balaclava, stalked and terrorised female members of the public walking on and living in Hampstead Heath. His offences consisted initially of indecently exposing himself to women while walking on the Heath. They included the robbery of one woman, who had a knife held to her neck, the knife-point aggravated burglary of an 81-year-old woman's home, and culminated in an incident in which the defendant, waiting in the shadows late one night, leapt out and exposed himself to a woman who was walking home alone. Cyrus has also been linked to a "very serious" sexual attack in Tayside, Scotland, since he absconded. He is also believed to have targeted two school girls in Preston city centre on October 17. Cyrus is also said to be the prime suspect after a 23-year-old woman was raped in her own home in Perth, Scotland, as she slept. He is alleged to have then callously returned to steal her mattress and dump it, in a bid to cover his tracks. Anthony Waller, defending Cyrus, said he maintains his denials adding: "He does not accept the convictions that have been recorded against him in this matter. Cyrus, of no fixed address, denied all the charges against him. He was cleared of a further charge of exposure, which allegedly took place in West Heath Road, Hampstead, on October 28, and attempted rape.