A rapist whose attacks wrecked his young victims' lives has been jailed for 12 years after he was snared by text-messages.

Ian Waddingham had denied a string of sex offences against a total of three girls but was found guilty following a trial earlier this year.

Yesterday a judge told the 53-year-old, of Abbey Lea, Allerton, Bradford, he showed no remorse and deserved "the utmost severity".

Judge John Machin said he had considered a life term but added: "There are other measures I can adopt to protect the public from you.

"This was an utterly disgraceful course of conduct. It has ruined the lives of your victims and there is not the slightest hint of remorse."

Waddingham was found guilty by a 10-2 majority of raping a 12-year-old and by an 11-1 majority of two charges of indecently assaulting her.

He was found guilty by a 10-2 majority of raping and indecently assaulting a 13-year-old and two charges of indecently assaulting another 13-year-old.

The court heard the offences were committed between October 1995 and December 2003 when Waddingham lived in the Skegness area.

Caroline Bradley, prosecuting, described Waddingham, who denied all the offences, as manipulative and abusive towards his three victims.

Police investigations began after he sold a mobile phone to a man who found suggestive texts between Waddingham and one of the girls.

The victim later told how Waddingham got her drunk and raped her - with further inquiries leading to other complaints being made against him.

Judge Machin also ordered that Waddingham be placed on the sex-offenders' register for life and made him the subject of a life-time Sex-Offenders' Prevention Order.

This bars him from living in or visiting any accommodation containing any child under 18 and from having any unsupervised contact with any child.

Judge Machin told him at Lincoln Crown Court: "You corrupted and blackmailed these girls. You exploited them for your own sexual purpose."

Robin Howard, mitigating, said Waddingham faced an "utterly miserable time" in prison and still maintained his innocence, despite the verdicts.