THE level of risk posed by a convicted rapist who went on to murder his disabled girlfriend and her carer was not known until it was too late, an inquest heard.

David Tiley had carried out violent and sometimes sexual offences against previous partners which had gone unreported.

It was only when detectives began investigating the double murder of Susan Hale and her carer Sarah Merritt, who had both been sexually assaulted and stabbed repeatedly, that they discovered the scale of the threat he posed to women.

Yesterday, at a hearing into the deaths of the two women, whose bodies were found on March 15 last year in a flat in Meggeson Avenue, Townhill Park, Detective Chief Inspector Jason Hogg, the officer leading the inquiry, told how Tiley was being monitored by Hampshire police.

Rapist He was one of 300 violent or sex offenders in Southampton, being monitored by a department that initially consisted of just two police constables until it was restructured in 2006.

Tiley, 47, had been on the sex offender's register after being convicted of two counts of rape and one count of buggery when he appeared in court in 1995. He had also been in and out of prison for breaching the order by failing to notify police of his address.

Living with Ms Hale following his release from prison in January 2007, Tiley was subject to MAPPA (multi-agency public protection arrangements) and was deemed at low risk of causing violent harm and at medium risk of causing sexual harm. Overall, his medium risk status meant he was subject to at least one visit every six months by police, who were charged with monitoring him.

Det Chief Insp Hogg said enquiries after the murders found that Tiley had committed sexual and violent assaults against former girlfriends who did not report them and therefore Tiley's real personal risk category was "unknown".

The inquest heard how, shortly after his release, he and Ms Hale received a joint visit from an officer who made sure she was aware of his criminal background.

Detective Inspector Craig Dibdin, who was head of Southampton's public protection unit at the time, said Ms Hale implied she knew about his past and gave every indication that she was happy to continue with the relationship.

But since the murders of the two women, the system of approaching offender's and their partners had now been changed and they would be seen separately to ensure nobody was being coerced into saying something they didn't want to.

It is one of a number of measures that have been put in place, the inquest heard.

Liz Ashton, director of offender management for Hampshire Probation Service and also chairwoman of the local MAPPA strategic management board, said a full review had been carried out to see if lessons needed to be learnt.

The review was led by a member of the prison service and has seen a report produced, so far only in draft form, that pointed to the importance of inter-relations between agencies.

The inquest was told how Carewatch, the company for whom 39-year-old Mrs Merritt worked, would not have been informed of Tiley's previous convictions.

Mrs Ashton said: "I think it's fair to say that the key to managing people who pose a risk to others is sharing information. The review identified that the process could be improved."

The inquest was adjourned by coroner Keith Wiseman who said he wanted to make contact with social services and Carewatch.