1. Not a police cover up. The man was arrested and successfully prosecuted and so the police's job was done. It is not the job of the police to publicise the whereabouts of every rapist in the country.
2. Once the link to his previous crime had been established, then the media should be able to report it. It is the job of the media to make the connection, not the job of the police to reveal it.
3. The Police's primary concern is prevention of future crimes, which is why they tried to block his name being published. However, that goes against the principle of a free press, and fortunately the reporting restriction was not granted.
4. The Police did make a mistake in seeking to stiffle information reaching the public. But the motive was crime prevention rather than conspiracy.
It is a bit presumptuous in bashing the usual police bashers, before any answers have been posted.