Gary Neal 57

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Vile sex offender Gary Neal is beginning a 16-year prison sentence after raping girls and abusing five victims over a period of 18 years in Grimsby and Cleethorpes.

At Grimsby Crown Court, Judge Ahmed Nadim said Neal, 54, was a danger to the public and added a further four years to the sentence which will be served on licence.

He also imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and Neal will be on the Sex Offender Register for life.

It followed a trial in which Neal denied 14 sex offences against girls.

Neal, married and living at Mill Lane, Kirton Lindsey, was found guilty of the offences against five girls.

Neal was convicted of four counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 14, gross indecency with a child under the age of 14, two counts of rape of a female child under the age of 16, sexual assault of a girl under the age of 13, three counts of inciting a girl under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity, and three counts of sexual assault of a girl under the age of 13.

Judge Nadim said the trial had not spared the victims reliving "the most unpleasant experiences of their lives".

He added the 46 incidents of sex against young girls, some just four years old at the time, were committed while he was aged between 31 and 49 years old.

He said the victims, some who sat in court in tears, had been left "emotionally scarred and confidence damaged and unable to form trusting relationships".

"They have been unable to realise the full potential of their lives. They may never fully recover from the damage you have caused. No sentence can give them back their childhood," the judge said.

He accepted the defendant had a mild learning difficulty but said he had listened carefully to the evidence he gave at trial which he described as "calculated with mendacity".

The judge said Neal had a lack of appreciation for the damage caused to his victims. He said the parole board would only consider if he was fit for release on licence after serving two thirds of the sentence. A further four years will be served on licence.

Prosecuting, Michael Greenhalgh told of how one of the girls had confided in a school teacher. Police began an investigation in 2017 when Neal was arrested. At the same time, another victim came forward to give her account of how Neal raped her.

He read statements detailing the shocking impact the rape and sex assaults had taken on the girls.

One told of how it had ruined the relationships she had with men including those in her own family. Seeing men who look like Neal sets her into a panic, he recounted.

One said: "My life has been hell. I now want to take my life back. He ruined my life but I am not letting him ruin my life anymore."

For Neal, Rodney Ferm said his client had "limited mental function" and was "akin to a child" with a mental age of nine years old. He has an IQ of between 54 and 62, which placed him in the category of a learning disability.

His client had claimed he was sexually abused as a child himself.

Mr Ferm said: "Although he had adult drives, he had the function of a nine-year-old and those are the people he associated with. He has no adult acquaintances, except members of his family who deal with bills and the more complex matters of daily life."

He added : "He is a very isolated man and had more company in prison, on remand, than at any stage of his life for many years. His learning difficulties have been taken on board."

After sentencing Neal, Judge Nadim recognised the courage of the complainants.

He said: "It is the hope of this court that with the closure of these proceedings they will be better able to move on with their lives. They each leave with the gratitude of the court. They have made an important contribution to the court system. I thank each and every one of them."