Kevin Offland 45

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A "dangerous sexual predator" spent two decades raping and manipulating girls and young women, a court has heard. Kevin Offland subjected six different females to sexual violence and abuse in a prolonged campaign of horrific offending.

A judge at Swansea Crown Court said she had no doubt Offland presented a danger to women and said an extended sentence was necessary to protect the public. The 45-year-old defendant refused to attend his sentencing hearing – something the judge said did not surprise her as he was "both a bully and a coward".

Speaking after the sentence police praised the courage of the victims in coming forward and giving evidence and said the case should serve as reminder to everyone that "justice can still be served years after any abuse was committed". Prosecutor Andrew Davies told the court it was the prosecution position that Offland was a "dangerous sexual predator" who had preyed on females for two decades. The court heard a series of statements from the defendant's victims in which they set out the devastating impact his offending has had on their lives.

One woman described how the defendant had exploited and manipulated her and subjected her to "the most heinous abuse" and described him as a "masochistic entity". Another said Offland had "completely ruined my childhood and ruined me as a person" and had left her with complex post-traumatic stress disorder while another described how she suffered with severe depression and was now unable to trust anyone.

Kevin Offland, formerly of Black Bridge, Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, and now of Nichols Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, had previously been convicted at trial of 18 offences of rape, causing a child to engage in sexual activity, and sexual activity with a child when the case returned to court for sentencing. The offending took place between 1998 and 2021 at locations in Pembrokeshire and Shropshire. Nicola Powell, for Offland, said the defendant put his account to the jury at trial and maintains his innocence.

Judge Catherine Richards said she was not surprised Offland had refused to attend the sentencing hearing as he was "both a bully and a coward". She told the defendant he had dominated, abused, and raped woman and girls who "had the misfortune to come across you" and she said she had no doubt he posed a danger to woman and was a "manipulative predator". The judge paid tribute to the courage of the woman who came forward and gave evidence at trial and acknowledged no sentence a court could pass could measure the misery Offland had inflicted on them.

The defendant was given a 30-year extended sentence comprising 26 years in custody followed by a four-year licence period. Offland must serve two-thirds of the custodial element of the sentence before he can apply to be let out but it will be for the Parole Board to determine if he is safe to be released.

Speaking after the sentencing Dyfed-Powys Police detective constable Claire Duggan, the officer who investigated the case, said: "This has been a complex case involving a number of victims and witnesses from two different force areas. Their courage and strength to firstly report the abuse, which was extremely sensitive, and also the way they have remained strong throughout the investigation and trial is to be commended. I would like to thank the jury on the guilty verdicts given and Judge Richards for the sentencing.

"This successful court result is an important reminder to everyone that justice can still be served years after any abuse was committed. I hope now that the victims and their families, who have been affected by the actions of Kevin Offland, can now try and move on with their lives."

Police investigator Ian Rutherford from West Mercia Police - the force that covers Shropshire - described it as a "harrowing and shocking" case and said the trauma Offland caused his victims would likely to be life-long. He paid tribute to the "unwavering determination and bravery" of the victims and their families, and said while he welcomed the sentence handed down by the court in Swansea no sentence could ever provide justice for the survivors.