A man from Portslade man has been jailed for 22 years for raping a schoolgirl over a number of years.
Brian Sillence, 55, of Shelldale Avenue, Portslade, abused the girl from the age of nine years old until she was 19.
He was jailed at Hove Crown Court by Judge David Rennie today (Thursday 25 June) having been convicted yesterday after a seven-day trial. He will be a registered sex offender for life.
He was convicted of six counts of indecently assaulting the girl, five counts of raping her and two counts of sexual assault after an investigation by detectives from Sussex Police.
Judge Rennie said: “You saw her as a mere object with which you could pleasure yourself sexually.
“Your final cynical act of betrayal was to force her to relive your vile acts by putting her through the ordeal of a trial.
“What a monstrously unkind thing to do but wholly in character.”
Detective Constable Rex Petty, of the Brighton Safeguarding Investigations Unit, said: “Reports about Sillence’s behaviour towards the victim were first made, and fully investigated, in 2001 and again in 2004.
“But at that stage the victim was not prepared to support any prosecution and it was not until 2012 that the she felt able to come forward and do so.
“A careful and thorough investigation followed to uncover the whole truth of what had happened and Sillence denied everything all the way through.
“The victim continued to support the prosecution throughout the investigation and with her evidence the case against Sillence was finally proved.
“We will always take such allegations seriously and will recommend prosecution wherever possible to seek to achieve justice for victims of such dreadful crimes.”
