A woman who endured almost two decades of ‘torture’ after becoming the target of a sexual predator as teenager has finally received justice.

Jan Newcombe plied the-then teenager with drink and drugs before taking advantage of her vulnerable state and raping her.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, struggled to cope with the impact of what happened to her when she was a vulnerable teenager after the defendant used drink and drugs.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the 52-year-old regularly got as ‘high as a kite’ when he took ecstasy, cocaine, and cannabis, on a weekly basis in his Redcar home.

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Newcombe would often provide the girl with drugs before sexually abused her on two occasions.

In a powerful victim impact statement, the woman spoke of how the attacks had blighted her life and had resulted in her spending time in an induced coma after self-medicating to dampen the effects of her trauma.

Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, read out extracts of the statement while the victim was in court to face her abuser.

“I was just a teenager when the sexual abuse started happening, I couldn’t believe what was happening to me,” she wrote.

“Jan exploited me because he knew I was so vulnerable then and I was a prime target for a predator.”

Newcombe, of South Avenue, Redcar, was found guilty of two counts of rape following a trial at the same court.

Victoria Lamballe, mitigating, said her client still has the support of his family and one of his children wrote a letter showing another side to her father.

She added: “The defendant has been married for many years and has always worked and provided for his family.”

Recorder Dayfdd Enoch KC branded the Redcar rapist as a drug-taking sex attacker who abused a vulnerable teenage girl and left her suffering ‘years of torture’.

“You were popping ecstasy pills, taking cocaine and smoking weed - you were getting as high as a kite,” he said. “It was a recipe for disaster.

“No doubt fuelled by your ingestion of ecstasy, you took a sexual interest in the girl and it is an interest you should never have had. If you did have it, you should have stopped it.”

Newcombe was made subject of an indefinite restraining order and a sexual harm prevention order as well as being told he will need to sign on the sex offenders’ register for the remainder of his life.

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Speaking after the sentencing hearing, Detective Sergeant Lexi Edmonds, of Cleveland Police, said: “The victim in this case has shown great courage in finally coming forward to report these crimes to us.

“Naturally, she found it difficult to report this abuse, but finally found the strength to do it. I would like to thank her for trusting us and supporting us through our investigation.

“Hopefully this sentence will bring some closure and help her to rebuild her life again. This case shows that no matter how many years have passed, that victims can still see justice done.