CHARLES ANTHONY LANE, known as Tony, had exemplary military service, Newport crown court was told.

John Jenkins, QC, for Lane, said he had performed an "exemplary service in the British Army" and was a lance-corporal in the South Wales Borderers, serving in Aden and during The Troubles in Northern Ireland.

But his record was besmirched yesterday by his conviction for 12 sex and violence offences against women and young girls.

He was ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

Award-winning former Gaer Neighbourhood Watch leader Lane, 56, from Elan Court, Bettws, Newport, was found guilty by a jury yesterday of two rapes, one attempted rape, the abduction of a 15-year-old girl, causing or encouraging the prostitution of another 15-year-old girl, committing indecency with a child, four indecent assaults and two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Lane was cleared of three charges of rape; one charge of procuring a woman to have sex with himself and others; one indecent assault; two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, one count of causing grievous bodily harm and witness intimidation.

One of his victims told the court during the case that Lane had used a dog during a sickening sexual attack against her in the early 1970s.

The woman wept as she told the court: "I started crying and screaming. I thought my life was over ... I was in a living hell and there was nothing I could do about him."

Another woman described how she had been raped and forced into prostitution by Lane while she was still a schoolgirl. She told the court: "He told me to get ready and dress up pretty in sexy clothes."

The woman said she wore high heels, a skirt and a blouse before Lane told her to put on a show for another man while he remained with them in the same room.

She said: "I was told to put on a show for this guy - to entertain him with a striptease."

The woman said that after she had performed a strip show Lane raped her.

Judge Christopher Llewellyn-Jones, QC, told Lane: "No person who has listened over the last eight to ten days to the evidence of this case can but have been affected by the violence and perverted sexual behaviour that you inflicted.

"The one person who it appears has been unmoved by this is you."

The judge described the attack using the dog as "foul and indecent".

The judge said Lane carried out sex attacks on one girl at "the tender age of 15" when "in the early 1980s you attempted to rape her."

The judge said Lane used the girl to "satisfy what was plainly your lust" before forcing her to prostitute herself and then raping her.

Detective Constable Mark Lemoignan, the officer leading the case from Gwent Police's family support unit, said: "Lane has shown no admission of guilt or any emotion throughout the case for these awful offences.

"He used his control over these women to commit these crimes, but that is now at an end."