AN IPSWICH man is beginning a 12-year jail sentence today after being convicted of raping a teenage girl.Paul Hunt, 41, of Boyton Road, was convicted by majority verdicts on two charges of rape but cleared on a third count.

AN IPSWICH man is beginning a 12-year jail sentence today after being convicted of raping a teenage girl.

Paul Hunt, 41, of Boyton Road, was convicted by majority verdicts on two charges of rape but cleared on a third count. Hunt was also found guilty on three charges of indecent assault by the jury at Ipswich Crown Court.

One of these guilty verdicts was unanimous and each of the other two were by an 11-1 majority.

Judge Peter Thompson, presiding over the trial which began on Monday, jailed Hunt for seven years on the indecent assault charges. The seven years are to run concurrently to the 12 years.

The jury delivered its final verdict – the rape charges taking the longest – at the end of nine hours and 16 minutes of deliberations.

Judge Thompson, sentencing, told Hunt these were specimen charges and represented "many, many acts of rape."

Commenting on the other charges, Judge Thompson said: "In the same way the indecent assaults represent many continuing offences over a long period of time."

The judge told Hunt: "You degraded her and humiliated her and in my judgement the girl will bear the emotional and mental scars of your conduct for the rest of her life."

Judge Thompson added that Hunt's denial of the offences had caused the girl great distress in reliving what he had done to her.

The judge directed that Hunt should sign the sex offenders register and be on it for the rest of his life.