RAPIST Colin Stokes could have been prevented from assaulting his victims had it not been for mistakes by the authorities.

Stokes, from Dursley, was jailed for 14 years last March for raping three women at a care home where he worked in Gloucestershire.

The 49-year-old attacked the women – aged 32, 50 and 54 – between January 2012 and April 2013 in supported living accommodation.

His wife, who was the manager of the care home, was also jailed for eight months for abusing a position of trust against three adults.

Gloucestershire Safeguarding Adults Board (GSAB) carried out a review into how Stokes was allowed to be in a position to carry out the assaults and published its report last Thursday.

It revealed that two previous allegations of a sexual nature had been made against Stokes in 1997 and 2007, and there were failings by Gloucestershire police and the county council following both.

A police database switch meant that 7,326 crime logs were lost the year after the initial allegation, meaning the investigation regarding Stokes in 2007 was not informed by the 1997 case.

The Crown Prosecution Service threw both cases out due to insufficient evidence.

While the GSAB report said the multi-agency safeguarding policy, which could have limited Stokes' access to female residents at the care home, does not appear to have been followed by the county council after the 2007 allegation.

At a press conference on Thursday, GSAB independent chairman Paul Yeatman said: “The board deeply regrets what happened to these victims. Thanks to their bravery and determination these abusers were given considerable prison sentences.

“The review has shown that the crimes committed could have been prevented if previous allegations had been further investigated and information shared between partners."

He continued: “Whilst nothing can put right the wrong suffered by these vulnerable adults, I am thankful they are doing well, living together as part of their local community.”

Gloucestershire police's Assistant Chief Constable Sally Crook said: “We accept that the failure to transfer information across police systems was completely unacceptable and we apologise to the victims and their families for this.”

Gloucestershire County Council described its response to the allegations in 1997 and 2007 as inadequate, and has produced an action plan for improvement.

For more crime news, see gazetteseries.co.uk