A CROWN Court judge has demanded answers from the Chief Constable of Dorset after police officers failed to seize vital evidence following a brutal sex attack.

Debbie Simpson has been given two weeks to explain what action has been taken against two officers who did not seize as evidence a mobile phone found in the victim's flat.

If no explanation is offered, Judge Peter Ross has warned she may have to appear in court in person.

He awarded £1,000 from public funds to a neighbour who took the phone to police after they had left it behind.

An internal inquiry is now under way in Dorset Police.

Judge Ross jailed Callum King for life after hearing details of violent assaults carried out in Bournemouth and in Witney in Oxfordshire.

Sitting at Oxford Crown Court, the judge heard King targeted his Bournemouth victim after she got home from a night out on June 6 2015.

King gained access to her block of flats and addressed her by name before following her into her flat and attacking her. The court heard she had never seen him before.

Rebecca Austin, prosecuting, said: "He put his hand over her mouth and nose, which prevented her from breathing.

"She believed he was going to kill her."

After the attack, King left her flat and she fled, partially clothed, to a neighbour's house.

When police turned up, they found her with a bloodshot eye and a red mark on the end of her nose, as well as injuries to her neck and back.

King was tracked down by police within days but was not charged with the Bournemouth offences until almost a year later.

While he was on bail he attacked and raped a second woman in Langel Common, Witney, in the early hours of June 3 this year, as she walked home from work.

Ms Austin said: "Her attacker had his knee in her back and was punching and kicking her.

"She told the man to stop but he did not react. He had his hands around her throat and she was not able to breathe.

"She thought she was going to die."

The court heard the attack lasted for about half-an-hour and left the victim with three fractured vertebrae, bruises and fractures to her neck and external bruising on her body.

Judge Ross said both women were subjected to "appalling violence" and said one victim was left with some of the worst injuries he had ever seen.

King, of Witney in Oxfordshire, sobbed throughout the sentencing hearing.

The 25-year-old admitted one count of rape, two counts of sexual assault, one count of trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence, one count of inflicting grievous bodily harm and one count of inflicting actual bodily harm.

Alistair Grainger, defending, said: "Mr King says that he is sorry and disgusted with his behaviour. He has never seen himself as a violent person and he hopes the women go on to rebuild their lives."

Judge Ross sentenced King to life in prison and told him he must serve at least nine years and three months until he can be considered for release.

He said: "It is an appalling catalogue of sexual offending accompanied by very shocking violence in which your two victims lost consciousness.

"I have absolutely no hesitation in saying that you are a dangerous offender."

Detective Superintendent Pete Little, Director of Investigations at Dorset Police, said: "Dorset Police conducted an investigation into this complex case over a number of months. We liaised with the Crown Prosecution Service on a number of occasions, leading to Callum King being charged.

"The life sentence given in Oxford Crown Court reflects the seriousness of his offending and hopefully goes some way to providing a sense of justice for his victims.

"Whilst convictions were ultimately secured for his offending in Dorset, the trial has highlighted issues that we clearly need to look into further. We are now conducting an internal review into the full circumstances of this case and will respond to the trial judge within the two week timeframe requested.

"It would be inappropriate for us to pre-empt the findings of this review until we have had a chance to gather all the facts and respond to the judge. However, we will be open about the review when it has completed."