Two men have been jailed for carrying out two "depressingly similar" sexual attacks in an Essex park.

Nuriddin Shakhabutdinov, 21, and Jamoliddin Tulaganov, 24, raped a woman in Chelmsford's Central Park on January 15, having sexually assaulted a woman there on November 13 last year.

At Chelmsford Crown Court on Tuesday, Tulaganov was jailed for nine years and Shakhabutdinov for seven years and seven months.

Both men were placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely and will be deported to Uzbhekistan on their release.

The court heard that on both occasions the men, of Byron Road, Chelmsford, had met their victims during nights out in the town, and lured them to the park where the attacks took place.

Sentencing, Judge David Turner QC said: "You are friends, housemates, compatriots and co-workers and you are also both opportunistic sexual predators operating together.

"The nightclubs of Chelmsford and the women who visit and enjoy them will be at less risk as a consequence of the substantial sentences you both face."

Tulaganov had denied two charges of rape and one of sexual assault.

He was convicted after a trial of rape and sexual assault but the jury could not reach a verdict on the second rape charge, which was ordered to lie on file.

Shakhabutdinov admitted charges of rape, sexual assault and common assault.

Kate Davey, mitigating for Tulaganov, said that he came from "an utterly respectable background" and had not told his family what had happened.

"He came to Britain to improve himself, but will now face many years in prison in an alien country," she said.

Annie Dixon, mitigating for Shakhabutdinov, said that his guilty pleas showed "insight and remorse" about his actions.