A NATIONAL Lottery winner and former military police officer is beginning a prison sentence today for sexually abusing young girls.Rodney Hogan, who is confined to a wheelchair, was sent to prison for two years for repeatedly sexually assaulting two girls aged 12 and 13 and for an assault on one of their mothers.

A NATIONAL Lottery winner and former military police officer is beginning a prison sentence today for sexually abusing young girls.

Rodney Hogan, who is confined to a wheelchair, was sent to prison for two years for repeatedly sexually assaulting two girls aged 12 and 13 and for an assault on a woman over the age of 16.

The 65-year-old pervert who scooped £77,058 on the lottery in 1998 and who served as a police officer in the armed forces, still denies the offences.

An Ipswich Crown Court jury found him guilty of two specimen charges of indecently assaulting the girls and to one charge of indecently assaulting the woman.

The court heard that Hogan of Fitzgerald Road, Bramford, had put his arm round one of the girls and kissed her on the mouth using his tongue. He also put his hand down her top.

He was found guilty of assaulting another girl aged between 12 and 13 between March 2002 and March 2004 and of assaulting a woman between December 2000 and January 2004.

Charles Kellett, prosecuting, said Hogan was found not guilty of a fourth assault.

Naomi Perry, mitigating, said Hogan was not a well man and had a neurological disorder, arthritis in his back and diabetes. She said the sex assaults were at the lowest end of the scale of this type of offending and any prison sentence should be suspended.

She added that he was of previous good character and probation had assessed him as a low risk re-offender.

Judge Peter Thompson said: “You insisted that nothing happened with the girls and that they invented malicious false allegations.”

He said Hogan had lied to the jury by telling them two men had drugged him and he could not remember assaulting the woman.

Judge Thompson said: “You used opportunities for your own sexual satisfaction on different occasions. Both the girls said they both felt guilty, dirty and horrible and thought it was their own fault. It is clear to me they are still suffering the affects of your abuse. You have no victim empathy, no remorse and do not understand the trauma sexual assaults have on victims for many years.

“You continued to be up to denial up to today. You undoubtedly cross the custody threshold and a man like you needs to hear it from the courts that indecent assaults on young girls are serious.”

Hogan was jailed immediately and was told to remain on the sex offenders' register for 10 years after his release and not be in any environment with a child under 16 years unless the person responsible for that child is also present.