Police praise women as Easington Lane rapist jailed

Peter Anderson received a life sentence after being found guilty of 12 offences

Two women who reported being raped by a "narcissistic bully" have been praised after he was jailed for at least 14 years.

Peter Anderson was found guilty of 12 offences including multiple rapes, blackmail and false imprisonment.

The 30-year-old, of Easington Lane near Sunderland, targeted the women who "bravely" came forward years later, Northumbria Police said.

He was sentenced to life with a minimum term at Newcastle Crown Court.

Anderson must also sign the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

Police said his first victim was a teenager when she sought help from a school guidance counsellor, which led to her speaking to police.

'Underestimated their bravery'

The second woman, who was in her 20s, "found the courage to report she had been raped" by Anderson when a concerned GP put her in touch with charity Wearside Women in Need, a police spokeswoman said.

Anderson had denied any wrongdoing but was convicted of all offences by jurors.

Det Ch Insp Shelley Hudson said: "Peter Anderson is a narcissistic bully who took pleasure in terrifying and even blackmailing his victims into silence.

"He believed they would never speak out but he underestimated their bravery and the goodness of other people who were ready and waiting to support his victims and help them to see themselves as survivors.

"I am in awe of the survivors' courage and composure and in awe of those who showed such care and compassion towards these women when they desperately needed a boost in their faith in humanity."