Inside the mind of the Tuen Mun rapist

THE Tuen Mun rapist is driven by revenge and a desire to physically overcome women, and will continue to attack them until he is caught, says a psychiatrist working in Hongkong.

The doctor believes the rapist's hatred stems from being ignored or abused by his parents when he was a child, or could be linked to jealousy of an elder sister or his mother.

''He is a very disturbed, pathological character,'' the psychiatrist said. ''He doesn't like women but he is attracted to them sexually.

''For a great part of his life he feared them, but now to wants to overcome them by aggression. But it is no longer simply sexual - it is now murder.

''He will continue doing this. He has a drive to do so. He is compulsive and competitive.'' The expatriate psychiatrist, who has assisted the police on previous inquiries, said the rapist went into hibernation after every attack and then went on a ''binge'' like a compulsive gambler. He said a rise in hormone level or a visual stimulant seen ina film could trigger the attacks.

The doctor said that, as there was little information on the man, there were great gaps in his psychological profile, but the theft of handbags after each rape was significant.

The handbags are kept as a sort of collection, the doctor said, although he believes the rapist could discard one as a reason to get another one.

None of the missing handbags has been recovered by police.

''When one loses its attraction he gets another one,'' the psychiatrist said. This is when he strikes, which, going on the reported assaults, has been roughly every two months - bar a gap last summer, when police believe he raped again although it was not reported.

In between attacks, the doctor said the rapist went into hibernation.

''He is likely to go underground, to stop for a while as he is scared,'' the doctor said. ''He is not psychotic. He is likely to be anything but mad.'' The psychiatrist believes the Tuen Mun rapist, known in the Chinese community as ''Sik Moh'', or sex devil, is a strong, young, adult male, who is at the lower end of the working scale, although he could be a foreman.

''He is unlikely to be a 'suit' - a stockbroker,'' the doctor said. ''He is likely to be single, but not living with someone. He could be separated. If he is married it is likely to be unsatisfactory.'' The man could have a group of male friends, although he would be a solitary figure and would not discuss his private life, let alone his sexual activities, with them.

The psychologist said there were many reasons that could have caused his hatred for women, but believed it stemmed from his childhood.

The manner in which he attacks his victims, by grabbing them around the throat with his bare hands, suggests he is strong, a manual worker, although he could ''work out'' at a gym.

The rapist would have some connection with the area; he wouldn't necessarily live there, but not far away.

The doctor said it was possible Sik Moh, who he said was without doubt Chinese, could suffer from a mental illness, although this was unlikely.

He said this sort of serial attacker was not common among the Chinese, which was why it was causing such concern and panic, and supported the police view that the attacks were random, as the age of the victims ranged from 19 to 50, and the rapist was ''indiscriminate''.