Adrian Ernest-Bayley was on parole for other rapes when he raped and murdered Irish woman Jill Meagher in Australia.
A plea hearing this morning has heard Bayley has twice been jailed for rape and was still on parole when he raped and killed the journalist - who was originally from Drogheda - in Melbourne on September 22 last year.
The 29-year-old was his 9th rape victim - he had committed 22 rapes in all.
Bayley has pleaded guilty to raping and murdering Jill Meagher and will be sentenced next Wednesday.
Lisa Macsimovic, reporter with ABC TV News in Melbourne, spoke to Newstalk's Breakfast this morning:
new jPlayerPlaylist({ jPlayer: '#239361370934561', cssSelectorAncestor: '#jp_container_239361370934561' }, [ { title:'Lisa Macsimovic', mp3:'http://cdn.radiocms.net/media/001/audio/000001/23936_media_player_audio_file.mp3'
} ], { swfPath: '/assets/includes/js/jPlayer', supplied: 'mp3', wmode: 'window', solution: 'flash, html' });
Haunted by Jill's death
Details of Bayley's previous crimes emerged as Jill's husband Tom told the court he was haunted by visions of what had happened to her.
Jill was attacked in an alley close to her home in a Melbourne suburb as she walked home after drinks with her work friends.
Tom Meagher said his future had been taken away and replaced with a life of fear, insomnia and anger.
"What was stolen from me on the 22nd of September 2012 was love, my best friend and my entire world," Mr Meagher said in his statement.
"I think of the waste of a brilliant mind and a beautiful soul. I am half a person because of this crime."
Dad breaks down
Mrs Meagher's father George McKeon broke down as he read his statement to the court, saying he and his wife would never get to see their daughter have children of her own.
"That is a life we just will never have," Mr McKeon said.
Previous convictions
Crown Prosecutor Gavin Silbert said Bayley was jailed in 1991 for 5 years over 6 charges including rape and attempted rape relating to 3 different victims.
He was jailed again in 2002 for 11 years on 16 counts of rape against 5 victims.
Mr Silbert said Bayley was also on bail when he raped and murdered Mrs Meagher.
He had been jailed for 3 months for recklessly causing serious injury but had lodged an appeal and was on bail awaiting his appeal, Mr Silbert said.
In a letter read out to the court, Bayley expressed genuine remorse and self-loathing saying he was truly sorry for what he had done and would not ask for forgiveness.
Admits lies
Bayley admitted he lied in a sexual rehabilitation programme while serving a prison term in order to get parole, psychologist Professor James Ogloff told the court.
"I basically went through the motions and told them what they wanted to hear," Bayley said, according to an extract of an interview between him and Prof Ogloff which was read to the court.
Prof Ogloff described Bayley as a violent sexual predator, who fantasised about assuming a position of power and control over his victims.
He will be sentenced next Wednesday.
