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An "arrogant" Jehovah's Witness subjected two girls under the age of 13 to years of systematic assaults and rapes.

Roy Collins, 80, was branded as "devious, righteous and arrogant" by a judge at Swansea Crown Court.

He had spent a decade systematically grooming, abusing and raping the two girls.

At one point during his campaign of abuse, one of their mothers burst into the Jehovah's Witness church in Swansea and publicly accused him of being a paedophile only to receive a letter from his solicitors warning her not to harass him.

Carline Rees QC, for the prosecution, read out impact statements from the two victims.

One said she had lived with the abuse for years before telling her family.

When she did so, the news had a "devastating effect" on her mother.

She said the abuse had an "significant impact" on her life, adding: "Every day I am happy if I can just make it through".

In her statement, the second victim said the abuse had led to her have trouble at school and to start taking drugs to try to "block out" what was happening. She said her suffering and pain continues to this day.

The court heard that one of the victims made a complaint about Collins in the 1990s, but he was not prosecuted.

The allegations were reported to the police again in 2013 - but it took five years for the matter to come to court.

Judge Geraint Walters told the defendant that his actions during the 1980s and 90s had been "truly wicked".

He described Collins as a "devious, arrogant and self-righteous man" who had lived behind veil of respectability partly through his contact with the Jehovah's Witness church.

The judge said that an example of his deviousness was the fact that when the allegations against him started to be investigated, he went to his GP claiming that he had suffered erectile dysfunction for the last 30 years.

Judge Walters said: "You are, in my judgement, a devious man, a self-righteous and arrogant man. You have shown no remorse what-so-ever towards your victims or anybody else.

"You have lived the better part of you life, you have been able to do that - your victims have not.

"There is no sentence I can pass that will restore the lives of the victims to what they might have been but for your behaviour."

He added that the case showed that when allegations of sexual abuse were made they should be tested and investigated not disbelieved.

He called the the five year delay in the case eventually coming to court "unforgivable".

But he praised the officer who eventually took-over the case and saw it through to conviction, saying that for the first time the victims had been treated with the dignity they deserved.

Referring the mum of one of the victims accusing Collins in church, he said that one would like to think that institutions would treat such allegations differently today.

David Leathley, for Collins, said his client had become a born-again Christian in the late 1990s, talks at length about a loving God, and "genuinely sees himself as an instrument of the creator".

He said that for all the wickedness his client had been convicted of, he had turned his life around and spent the last 25-years doing good works in the community.

The barrister added that given Collins' age, and the length of the prison sentence he would inevitably receive, "it is likely he is going to end his life in prison".

Collins, of Longford Crescent, St Thomas, Swansea, had previously been found guilty of 26 counts of indecent assault, indecency, and rape at trial when he appeared in the dock at Swansea Crown Court for sentencing.

Collins was given an extended sentence of 23 years, comprising 22 years in custody and a one year extended licence period as an "offender of particular concern". He will be on the sex offenders register for life.

Speaking after the sentencing South Wales Police sergeant Claire Price, the officer in the case, said: "I would like to praise the two victims in this case, who showed an incredible amount of determination and bravery in coming forward to report the horrendous abuse they suffered at the hands of Collins.

"I cannot imagine how difficult doing so will have been for them, but I hope today’s sentencing provides them with some comfort as they try to move forward with their lives."

Meanwhile detective inspector Dean Llewellyn, head of the force's rape and serious sexual offences unit, said he wanted to assure others the victim of sexual abuse – no matter how long ago it may have happened – that they could place their confidence and trust in his officers to "fully and sensitively investigate their case".

Children's charity NSPCC Cymru said the length of Collins' sentence showed the danger he posed to young girls.

A spokesman said: "Collins carried out deplorable acts of sexual abuse against young victims, taking advantage of the children's vulnerability for his own gratification.

"The length of sentence shows the severity of his actions and demonstrates the danger he poses to young girls, and we hope his victims are now receiving the support they need.

"Abuse ruins childhoods, but this case shows survivors can be confident to come forward and report what has happened to them, knowing that they will be listened to and that justice can be achieved no matter how much time has passed."

For help, advice and support call the sexual assault referral centre on 02920 335795.

Any young person in need of help or advice can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or childline.org.uk

Adults concerned about a child’s safety can contact the NSPCC Helpline 0808 800 5000 or nspcc.org.uk

Both are free, confidential, and open 24/7