IMAGES of what is believed to be the face of a serial rapist have been released in a fresh bid to track him down.

He is being hunted after his DNA was linked to a number of historic attacks on teenage girls across Hampshire.

The two images of the suspect, drawn up by his victims, will be seen by millions of television viewers tonight when detectives pursuing the man make an appeal on the BBC's Crimewatch programme.

During one of the rapes, in 1994, the suspect held a knife to the throat of a 14-year-old girl in Southampton and threatened to kill her before raping her close to Southampton Sport Centre.

Now detectives from Hampshire Constabulary have used the latest forensic techniques to isolate the offender's DNA and say they believe the same man was responsible for three attacks over a 20-year period.

As well as the rape in Southampton, the offender is also being connected to an attack on a 17-year-old girl in Portsmouth in 1974 and one on a 19-year-old woman on Southsea seafront in 1990 during which he stabbed the victim.

Illness claimed the life of the 19-year-old victim 18 months after the attack and her parents maintain her condition was made worse by the rape.

Yesterday in the Daily Echo the teenager who was raped in Southamp-ton - now aged 28 with a young son - spoke for the first time about her ordeal and how it had affected her life.

She described how she had gone to meet some friends at the sports ground hang out on November 21 1994, but when no one else showed up she had started walking towards another friend's house.

On her way the rapist struck, forcing the girl to the ground at knifepoint before raping her and then running off.

Crucially, he left behind a red baseball cap from which police were able to extract DNA.

The appeal for help in catching the suspect comes as part of a drive by the Major Crimes Department of Hampshire Constabulary to reopen cold cases.

Under the umbrella name of Operation Alveston, the inquiry has been part-funded by the Home Office to allow officers to use the latest and most advanced forensic techniques to try and bring conclusions to historic and unsolved crimes.

Crimewatch is on BBC1 at 9pm.