A PAEDOPHILE who subjected a young girl to “a campaign” of rape and sexual abuse has been jailed for 17 years.

Raymond Marasco, 53, disguised alcohol with “blue pop” and also promised to give the young girl a toy after he abused her, a court heard.

Marasco, of Lewis Street, Crumlin, was sentenced after being found guilty of three charges of rapes, two counts of sexual activity with a child and seven indecent assaults.

He continued to deny the offences as he was jailed at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court.

His victim has been severely affected by the abuse, the court was told.

She has banged her head against bedroom frames and brick walls and has tried to commit suicide numerous times, said prosecutor Ieuan Morris.

She has also suffered “horrific” nightmares and flashbacks which have affected her relationships with people and cannot be alone with a man on a bus or in a lift, a victim impact statement revealed.

Judge Richard Twomlow told the court: “Clearly this has severely affected her in a way that will always be here.

“She has suffered psychological damage that touches everything she does.

“This was a campaign of rape and sexual abuse against someone who was very young at the time.

“You disguised alcohol with blue pop. You carefully groomed her.”

Marasco’s barrister, Alex Greenwood, said in mitigation that his client had worked all his life and had never been previously convicted of sexual offences.

Mr Greenwood added that his client’s £23,000 savings had gone and his home was in the process of being repossessed as a result of the court proceedings against him.

Judge Twomlow imposed 17-year jail sentences for each rape to run concurrently.

He also gave Marasco three-year terms for the charges of sexual activity with a child, also to run concurrently. He also imposed sentences of between two and eight years for the seven indecent assaults, which are also to run concurrently.

All the offences relate to the same victim except one of the indecent assaults, which involved another girl aged under 15 on a bus.

Marasco will have to serve half his 17-sentence in prison before he is released on licence.

The judge barred Marasco from working with children and ordered him to register as a sex offender for life.