A man dubbed the "North Shore Rapist" has failed in a legal bid to keep his identity secret after repeatedly committing predatory acts towards women over several decades.
Graham James Kay had an order prohibiting the publication of his name revoked by the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday despite the 72-year-old arguing he feared for his safety.
Kay was released in 2015 after serving 18 years behind bars for sexually assaulting eight women on Sydney's leafy north shore during the 1990s.
After serving another sentence for stalking and intimidating a woman in Sydney's city centre in 2022, Kay was again released on conditions including that he wear an ankle monitor.
Nine newspapers successfully challenged Kay's attempts to keep his name suppressed as the state of the State of NSW pursues an extended supervision order against him for the safety of the community.
In arguing for his identity to be kept secret, Kay claimed he had faced threats in the past and on one occasion had the word "RAPIST" written on the side of his car.
“I struggle to apply for any jobs or try to develop any meaningful friendships because I feel it will all be taken away," he told the court.
But the victim of one of Kay's 90s attacks told the court his details should be made public to give others the opportunity to protect themselves as she could not when she thought she was going to die at his hands.
In rejecting the convicted rapist's plea, Justice Sarah McNaughton found there had never been any credible threat of violence against him or any actual incident involving his physical safety.
Following his first release from jail, Kay was again sentenced in April 2018 to four months after breaching his supervision orders for failing to disclose an intimate relationship.
Just four days prior to that sentence commencing, Kay assaulted a 16-year-old girl who was working at a supermarket, for which he received a 15-month conditional release order.
When the girl approached Kay, he grabbed her hip and kissed her on the cheek, causing her to recoil from him.
The teen would later describe the kiss as "slobbery" and say she was disgusted and very frightened, having been aware of his previous crimes due to media reports.
In 2022, Kay was again arrested after stalking a woman through the Sydney city centre for about two hours before confronting her in the building where she lived and sexually touching her.
His actions in pursuing the woman were described by a magistrate as "a predator on the hunt".
Kay was convicted of sexual touching without consent, and stalking or intimidation with the intent of causing fear of physical or mental harm.
He was sentenced in May 2022 to spend two years in jail, a term increased by six months on appeal.
The extended supervision order application will return to court on August 23.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
