Anthony Roberts, 56, was jailed in 1991 for offences against women which had striking similarities with the attempted murder of a woman in Worcester in the early hours in May this year.
Brutal canal knifeman had been freed from life sentence just months earlier birminghammail.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from birminghammail.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A serial offender who launched a horrific knife attack on an elderly woman just five months after being released from a life sentence has admitted charges of attempted murder and sexual assault.