Interesting comments from the Judge.
The Magistrates seem to have been influenced by the lack of charges (or their delay) in the earlier cases. The rapes started in 2014 but the Police didn't recognise them as serial rapes until 2017 (possibly only when 'fresh eyes' of specific officers were looking at those offences).
The conditions for bail are such that Magistrates are reluctant to, and have limited powers to, assign people to remand where there are no previous convictions even for murder/manslaughter/rape.