A Bradford man has been jailed for ten and a half years after raping and sexually abusing an underage girl and sexually assaulting a young male.

Damien Smith, 35, now in HMP Leeds, was labelled ‘predatory’ by Judge Colin Burn who imprisoned him at Bradford Crown Court today.

Smith, 35, formerly of an address in Bradford, pleaded guilty to 13 sexual offences including a single count of rape, sexual assault, voyeurism and possession of indecent images of children.

When Smith was arrested, indecent images of children were found on his phone, some at category A, the most serious bracket.

In his victim personal statement, the young male said Smith had ‘made his life a living hell.’ He was left depressed and embarrassed and felt he had no one to talk to.

The girl said her schoolwork had suffered after she was abused. She had flashbacks and had felt isolated.

In mitigation, Smith’s barrister Fiona Clancy said he had drugs and alcohol issues at the time. He was deeply remorseful and ashamed and had accepted his guilt in full.

He wished to serve his time in prison to be punished for the offending.

Judge Burn said they were ‘extremely serious offences’ and Smith’s best mitigation was his guilty pleas.

He was a sexual predator whose ‘violent and shocking’ assault on the vulnerable young male had left him frightened and confused.

The girl was also vulnerable and both young people had been left with significant psychological damage.

Judge Burn said neither of them would ever be able to forget what Smith had done to them.

He jailed Smith for nine months for assaulting the male, three months for the voyeurism offences, and nine and a half years for raping and abusing the girl, the sentences all to run consecutively.

He made a Sexual Harm Prevention Order without limit of time and Smith must sign on the sex offender register for life.

Judge Burn told him he will serve two thirds of his sentence before he can apply for parole.

After the case, Detective Inspector Julie Deacon of Bradford Safeguarding Unit said: "I would like to welcome the sentence handed down to Smith today, he is a sexual predator and a danger to children. 

"I would like to praise the bravery and courage from his victims in coming forward and reporting his crimes to police. 

"Thanks to a thorough investigation by Bradford District Safeguarding Unit and partner agencies, it left Smith with no choice but to plead guilty to the offences. 

"This guilty plea has spared his victims a trial, I hope that knowing he is behind bars for a long time, will bring them some closure as they try to move forward with their lives. 

"West Yorkshire Police take all reports of this nature seriously and anyone who is a victim of a sexual assault can rest assure we will do all we can to bring the perpetrators to justice."