14 YEARS FOR CHILD RAPIST; Case worst seen in 2 decades, says judge: OAP is jailed for sex attacks.

Byline: GARETH LIGHTFOOT

A SEX beast pensioner has been jailed for 14 years in what Teesside's most senior judge said was his worst child rape case in 20 years. Former squaddie Kenneth Chandler, 72, pictured, repeatedly raped a schoolgirl decades ago. She became pregnant twice, had miscarriages, attempted suicide, was referred to a child psychiatrist, and when she first reported it to social services in the early Eighties a decision was taken not to involve the police. The rapes continued until she tried to kill herself with an overdose of paracetamol, said prosecutor Matthew Bean. Married Chandler, pictured, who served for 20 years. in a Cavalry regiment, escaped the law until August last year when the victim, now also married, finally went to the police herself. When he was charged on May 1, he said: "I dispute some of the dates, some of the things did happen." Brian Russell, defending yest erday, said prison for Chandler would be harder than for a younger man. Chandler, of Mellor Street, Stockton, was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life after he pleaded guilty at Teesside Crown Court to six specimen rapes and four specimen indecent assaults dating back to the 1980s. The Recorder of Middlesbrough Judge Peter Fox QC told him: "The offences which you perpetrated against that young girl, now a grown woman of mature years, were quite devastating. "You made her pregnant twice, she went through the sorrow of miscarriage on both occasions, and as a consequence has suffered, as I have read in her victim impact statement, traumatic and devastating effects.

"Over the last 20 years. sentencing such cases as this I have seldom, if ever, come across worse. "Your only mitigation is that eventually you pleaded guilty on the day set for your trial. "Certain it is that you are 72 years of age, but you're fit and healthy and I see little, if any, reason for passing a less sentence than that which would be appropriate for someone significantly younger." Chandler shook his head in disbelief at the 14-year jail sentence as his victim and her husband watched from the public gallery. Detective Constable Fran Donovan said afterwards: "I'm really pleased with this result. "I hope that this gives confidence to other victims of similar crimes to come forward." She added: "We, in partnership with the Crown Prosecution Service, will continue to look to bring these offenders to justice, no matter how long ago the offences took place."