Serial rapist known as “Bondi Beast” after over 40 years

• Australian police have identified a serial rapist who terrified Sydney for three decades, nearly 40 years after his first assault.
• Detectives first thought a number of men were responsible for the attacks.
• With a dark skin, brown eyes, and a broad nose, he stood between 160 and 180 centimetres tall.

Between 1985 and 2001, Keith Simms allegedly preyed on 31 women, breaking into their homes or attacking them while they were out jogging.

Detectives first thought a number of men were responsible for the attacks.

However, police have now connected them all to Simms, who passed away in February at the age of 66, owing to modern DNA testing.

Simms, formerly known as “the Bondi Beast” or “the Tracksuit Rapist,” committed his first crime in the 1985 in the beach community of Clovelly. His most recent assault was in 2001 in a nearby cemetery.

At the time, each event was looked into separately, but in the 2000s, authorities started connecting them.

The attacker’s method of attack was consistent with another 19 cases, and DNA from 12 of the victims was identical.

The women, who ranged in age from 14 to 55, all described the same person as their attacker.

With a dark skin, brown eyes, and a broad nose, he stood between 160 and 180 centimetres tall.

He wore casual attire, such as tracksuits, sweatshirts, or football shorts, and kept his face concealed. He either gave his victims the impression that he had a knife on him or threatened them with one.

Investigators made progress in 2019 when they discovered a family DNA match in the police database, which reduced the number of suspects to 324.

Simms’ sample was discovered to be an exact match to those taken from the victims in September.

According to local media sources, Simms was a beloved father, grandfather, and community member in the eyes of his family and friends.

Simms’ family had “no notion,” according to the investigator who informed them of the situation.

Detective Sergeant Shelley Johns stated, “We met with his wife and she was absolutely astonished.”

She found it hard to accept that the man she knew was capable of such crimes.

The victims have also been contacted by investigators to inform them that their assailant has been identified, but that no further legal action can be done because of his death.

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