Rapist Given 113 Years and 7 Life Terms : ‘It’s Still Not Enough,’ One of His Victims Says at Sentencing

At an emotional hearing Friday, a 36-year-old Los Angeles man dubbed the “Flat-Tire Rapist” was sentenced to 113 years and seven life terms in state prison for assaults on 11 women in 1984.

Paul Seward was found guilty in a non-jury trial last month of 35 counts of kidnaping, robbing and attacking women after surreptitiously letting the air out of their car tires and then waiting around to offer help.

“It is clear to me,” Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Roger W. Boren said, “that the defendant should never walk the streets again.”

Life in Prison

The sentence Boren imposed effectively amounts to life in prison, since Seward will not be eligible for parole for more than 100 years.

“I’m very pleased,” the prosecutor, Deputy Dist. Atty. Vivian Somoza, said, “because the defendant is a menace to society.”

Five victims spoke at Friday’s sentencing hearing, urging Boren to impose a severe sentence.

“He’ll never get out of prison, and it’s still not enough years,” said a 35-year-old Los Angeles actress, who was attacked after a leaving a job interview for a beer commercial at a West Hollywood area office. “I was made pregnant by this animal and was subsequently forced to have an abortion.” A shackled Seward stared at the courtroom floor as she spoke.

The woman, who is childless, said she has since been unable to conceive again. She has also been unemployable as an actress in commercials, she said, “because of the hostility I feel.”

Victim Relocates

Another victim, weeping loudly, said she and her family have relocated to Orange County in an effort to forget about the assault. Even so, she said, at the sight of strangers, “I panic; I’m paranoid. My children suffer; my family suffers.”

According to a probation report, Seward, in a spree between June and August, 1984, cruised the streets of Los Angeles, looking for unaccompanied women parking their vehicles.

After letting the air out of one of their tires, he waited until they returned and offered to assist them.

Seward refused any compensation, explaining that he was acting as a good Christian. He did, however, ask for a ride to a bus stop or hospital, saying that he was going to visit his ill mother.

Knife Brandished

Once in the car, he attacked the women, frequently threatening them with knives.

At the time of his arrest, Seward was on parole after having served time for similar offenses.

Deputy Public Defender Edward M. Cook, who represented Seward, said his client was repeatedly molested by a relative before he was 10 years old.

“He was never the same after that,” Cook said, calling Seward’s background an explanation, not a justification.

Seward declined to speak at the hearing.