A paedophile who raped a five-year-old boy has been locked up indefinitely.

Jamie Lee Davidson, 20, was given an indeterminate sentence for public protection by Judge Jonathan Rose at Bradford Crown Court yesterday.

He will have to serve a minimum of three and a half years in custody but the judge warned he would not be considered for release until he was no longer thought to be a significant risk to the public – particularly children.

Davidson, of Old Institute, Mill Street, Sutton-in-Craven, had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to rape and sexual assault of a five-year-old boy, who cannot be identified.

Judge Rose told Davidson, who was 19 at the time of the offence, in January this year, it had been a “vile” sex assault on the little boy, and it remained inexplicable.

The judge said: “The only possible explanation was your uncontrollable thirst for sexual relief.”

Judge Rose said Davidson had continued to deny the offences until scientific evidence demonstrated his guilt beyond doubt.

He said his pleas had spared the child from possibly having to give evidence.

But he added: “Yours is not a case where it can be said your guilty plea demonstrates remorse. You feel no remorse.”

Judge Rose said Davidson was not suffering from any mental illness to explain his criminality and depravity.

“You have not pleaded guilty to spare the child, or the child’s family. You have not pleaded guilty because you are sorry. I have seen nothing to indicate you are sorry. What is worse, I have seen nothing to indicate you actually understand how grave a crime it is to violate a little boy in the way you have done.”

Judge Rose said there was a significant risk to the public, specifically children, of serious harm from further offences, particularly sex offences, by Davidson. And he said it could not be said with any degree of certainty when, if ever, he would demonstrate sufficient understanding of the danger he posed.

He added: “It will be three and a half years before you might be considered for release from custody. You will not be released after three and a half years. You will not be considered for release until that time is passed and only then when it is considered you no longer pose a significant risk to the public.”

Judge Rose made a Sexual Offences Prevention Order, preventing unsupervised contact with under-16s for life. Davidson was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life.