Henry Steven Wilson, 59, of Matthew Street, Waun Wen, Swansea pleaded guilty to nine charges, including 22 counts of rape against a child.

He must serve a minimum of 10 years in prison before he can apply for parole. He has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life. He was previously made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which will remain in place.

Between 1994 and 2004 he abused and raped his young victim, who was only five years old when the abuse started.

The Officer in the Case, DC Rebecca Williams said:

“Henry Wilson’s crimes are appalling, disturbing, and upsetting.

“It is clear he poses a real and significant risk to children.

“I know that no sentence can make up for the devastating damage he has caused and give this brave victim their childhood back, but I really do hope that they can now start to rebuild their life knowing they are safe from their abuser.

“I would like to publicly praise the victim who has demonstrated a huge amount of dignity and incredible strength supporting this investigation. They should be proud of their courage which means that Henry Wilson is now behind bars for a significant amount of time.”

Wilson was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court yesterday morning, Monday 8 January.