A RAPIST who threatened to kill his victim has been brought to justice thanks to the determination of detectives who never gave up looking for him.

Former soldier Kristoffer White, 22, of St Katherine's Road, in Exeter, has been jailed for nine years for the sex attack on a stranger who was walking along Raleigh Road, Exmouth, in the early hours of Sunday March 9, 2008.

White, who was living in the street at the time, was found guilty of two offences of rape, involving one incident, at Exeter Crown Court.

The Echo reported how White forced the woman into a garden near his home, as she was walking through the town, and threatened to kill her.

A partial DNA profile was discovered from saliva on her face but White was not on the police database at the time.

He was linked to the crime after he was cautioned over an unrelated matter and was arrested at his army barracks in Salisbury last year.

The court heard White left the army this month but served in Afghanistan after joining the forces several months after the sex attack.

The senior investigating officer, Detective Inspector Gregg Dawe, and the officer in the case, Detective Constable Jon Watts, were at court to see justice done.

They have praised the bravery of the victim in the case and are keen to thank quick-thinking WPC Julie Gordon, who took the vital swab of saliva from the woman's face shortly after the attack.

The partial profile later matched the defendant's, with a one in a five-and-a-half-million probability it would match someone else.

Det Insp Dawe did not give up after no match was initially found to the partial DNA profile from the attack.

He said: "We asked for the Cold Case team to review it. That didn't progress the case much further forward but we then asked for a further review. It was suggested we changed our forensics provider.

"We did so and they managed to gain further information from the partial DNA sample.

"It then flagged Kristoffer White up, as he had been cautioned for a minor offence during the period since then."

Det Insp Dawe said: "Rape cases are treated very seriously by police and we were always keen to identify a suspect and bring them to justice.

"I've remained the senior investigating officer throughout and I have continued to investigate this, on behalf of the victim and the people of Exmouth."

The detective said this case sent out a message that police would deal with rape victims sensitively and investigate every case thoroughly.

"We have left no stone unturned throughout this case and have continued to liaise with forensics experts," he said.

Det Insp Dawe added the victim had shown great bravery throughout the investigation.

He said: "She has dealt with this in a very positive and strong way and has been determined throughout to minimise the impact on her life."

He praised the perseverance of officers and congratulated all those involved in bringing White to justice, including the Criminal Case Review Team and Cellmark, the forensic services provider.