IT STILL remains a mystery as to why twisted Grant committed such disgusting crimes.

He remained tight-lipped since his arrest in November 2009, only revealing his bizarre defence in January.

Grant – a Jamaican-born Jehovah's Witness who did not swear on the bible when giving evidence – was a full-time carer for his second wife Jennifer.

She is wheelchair-bound and suffers from multiple sclerosis.

Despite appearing the devoted carer, he cheated on her with a woman called Barbara Stocks.

He has eight children – seven sons and a daughter – from two marriages and two other partners.

Describing how Grant was seen in his daily life, Detective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton said: "He was a charmer, a nice guy, a regular guy.

"There was a lot of surprise when he was arrested. People wouldn't have thought that Delroy Grant was the Minstead man."

One female neighbour, who asked not to be named, said at the time of his arrest: "He was always relaxed and friendly. He would always offer to come and help you if you needed anything, giving me lifts if I needed to go shopping.

"He cared for his wife, Jennifer, all the time and he is a family man."

Grant arrived in the UK from Jamaica aged around 15 and got married in 1975 to Janet Watson.

He was violent towards her and a womaniser, the court heard.

When the couple's marriage broke up in 1979, Grant was in prison and would serve two years after acting as a getaway driver following an attempted raid on a post office in Dulwich.

His jobs have included managing a building site and being a mini cab driver between 2003 and 2006.

Throughout the early years of his hideous crimes there was an element of theft within the burglaries, but nothing to sustain a life-style. There was a sexual motivation with his behaviour too, but this significantly reduced – though was still present to a lesser extent in the latter years.

From 2007 there was an increase in financial gain being the motive as he was targeting bank cards in his theft haul.

Chief Superintendent Simon Morgan added: "We do know in December 2008 there is a £20,000 county court judgement against him. We don't know the details of how he got into so much debt from the fact he hasn't spoken."

In the beginning, Grant would carefully study his victims. By looking through windows he could work out if an elderly victim lived alone. He targeted bungalows and simple things like hand rails would have been a giveaway for Grant.

Chief Supt Morgan says that in the later years because of his "financial demise" he became "less cautious".

And ultimately that would lead to Grant being caught by police.

Throughout the years of the lengthy investigation, detectives had always felt that, when their culprit was caught, people would be surprised by the suspect.

And this was proved at the point of Grant's arrest when stunned neighbours told of their disbelief.

His small Brockley street had 19 houses, with those who spoke regarding themselves more as family than neighbours.

One resident said: "When I saw on the television he had been arrested, I screamed, I thought it cannot be true.

"He would always ask how I was, he was so soft and well-spoken."

Grant, 53, of Brockley Mews, Brockley, denied a total of 29 charges – three rapes, one attempted rape, six indecent assaults, one sexual assault, 16 burglaries and two attempted burglaries.

But he was found guilty of all charges and is due to be sentenced today (Friday).