Sex attackers who thought they had got away with their crimes have been warned by police they have nowhere to hide.

Hundreds of unsolved sexual assaults in Oxfordshire — some dating back 40 years — are being scrutinised by detectives.

The Major Crime Review Team is hopeful advances in DNA and forensic techniques will mean dozens of victims of rape and sexual abuse will now find justice.

The police "cold case" team was set up 18 months ago to investigate unsolved murders and sexual assaults.

Det Supt Barry Halliday said the rigorous and painstaking investigations took time but would yield results.

He added: "We are going through hundreds of cases and assessing the forensic evidence available.

"When police tell the public their case will remain open until it is solved, it probably doesn't sound entirely convincing, but with our team, it really happens.

"No matter how much time passes, these cases are as important today as when they occurred."

There are about 300 unsolved sex attacks across the county, which are being investigated by the cold case team, which consists of eight detectives.

Each case is individually assessed and cross-referenced with new DNA and forensic techniques to draw up a profile or identity of the attacker.

If detectives have enough evidence, the case is assessed to determine whether arrests and charges will be brought.

When these sex attacks occurred, forensic techniques, like the national DNA database, were not available to officers.

Det Supt Halliday added: "We want to reassure victims who want closure and justice that their cases haven't been overlooked.

"There are offenders out there who should consider this as bad news — and we will come after them."

A risk assessment of each case is made to see if the victim wants the case to be brought up again because many have moved on and started new lives and families.

Det Supt Halliday added: "For instance, in the case of a rape that happened 30 years ago, people deal with things differently. Some may be quite open about it, others will be more private."

Last July, Rickie Sanjuliano, formerly known as Ricky Miell, was arrested by the team under the new "double jeopardy" law, which allows defendants to stand trial for the same offence twice.

Sanjuliano was acquitted of murdering Stephen Burton in Oxford in 1996.

But he subsequently admitted in prison, while serving time for burglaries and robberies, he was the killer and was then handed a jail sentence for perjury.

But on his arrest last year, he said he made the admission up and judges rejected a request for a second murder trial, ruling Sanjuliano's admission of guilt was unreliable.