A psychopathic rapist jailed for life last week for the vicious rape of an English tourist was carrying a concealed container of lighter fluid on the night of the attack. Gardaí believe he intended to murder the victim and her friend and then set fire to their hotel room.

Michael Murphy aka Michael Barrett (54) assaulted and raped an English tourist in a Dublin hotel after being invited back to her room by the woman and her friend in March 2007.

He had been jailed indefinitely in 1994 in Manchester for raping a woman and stabbing her 33 times.

He was also convicted in 1975 for the manslaughter of his father and given a suspended sentence.

"When he was arrested, he had a container of lighter fuel on his person. We believe he intended to burn the hotel room after he killed the two women," said a senior source involved in the investigation. "He is one dangerous man. He had enough lighter fuel to do it as well."

Jailing Murphy last Wednesday, Justice George Birmingham said a life sentence for rape was unusual but these were exceptional circumstances because Murphy was at large for "a truly appalling rape".

Murphy said he hit the woman because "I was so f***ing mad, I was boiling." When asked why he raped her, he said he wanted her to know what it felt like to be used.

Murphy had pleaded not guilty to rape, oral rape, sexual assault, assault and threatening to kill the woman and her friend.

He was convicted by a jury last month on all counts except for threatening to kill the woman's friend, on which they disagreed.

A member of the Travelling community and originally from Co Mayo, Murphy escaped from a secure psychiatric unit in November 2006 and travelled to Ireland.

On 20 March 2007, he met the victim and her friend in the Oliver St John Gogarty pub in Temple Bar. Murphy told them he was an artist and claimed he was also involved in the tourist ­industry.

After drinking there all evening, the three went back to the women's hotel, stopping by a shop on the way to pick up a bottle of wine. He told the victim that he liked her but she ignored this.

Her friend fell asleep and the woman was showing Murphy to the door when he swung around and punched her in the face. He shoved her into the bathroom and then raped her.

The victim managed to escape and ran out of the bedroom and down to reception where the alarm was raised. Gardaí arrived and searched the hotel where they found Murphy hiding in a third-floor linen closet.