Rapist Sean Walker has been recovering in prison after a dramatic suicide attempt only minutes after being convicted.

Walker, 29, was found in a pool of blood in his cell by security guards at Basildon Crown Court.

He slashed an arm with his asthma inhaler, which was lying shattered on the cell floor.

The anxious guards rushed to apply first aid treatment by stemming the flow of blood. The sex attacker was then rushed to Basildon Hospital.

Later, he was transferred to Chelmsford Prison where he was kept on "suicide watch."

When a jury returned guilty verdicts Walker showed no emotion in the dock. He simply turned his back on the court and walked briskly to the cells below.

Walker became known as "the lonely hearts rapist" because his victims were chosen through the columns of newspapers.

He has no fixed address but comes from Laindon. During his trial he claimed he had tried to kill himself on several occasions because of broken romances.

Now questions are bound to be asked as to why Walker was allowed to cut himself so badly after the court case.

However, court manager Linda Stanton said Walker would have been searched twice on the day of the incident as a matter of routine.

She added that regular cell checks were carried out on Walker every 15 minutes.

Five minutes after the last check noises were heard coming from his cell. Security officers dashed inside to find Walker covered in blood and groaning in agony.

He was taken to hospital where the arm wound was patched up. He was also given a tetanus injection.

A Prison Service spokeswoman said on Friday that Walker was "now doing fine and not giving us any further cause for concern."

Walker can expect a lengthy jail term when he is sentenced in early August for raping three former girlfriends.

Last week he was found not guilty of raping two other young women, but also convicted on charges of causing actual bodily harm, harassment and intimidation.

Judge Philip Clegg said he would sentence Walker after examinations by two psychiatrists - one independent, the other from the prison service.

One of Walker's victims described him as "just like a monster from a horror film."

Suicide bid - Sean Walker

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