A RAPIST who told his schoolgirl victim no-one would believe her if she tried to speak out has been jailed for 15 years.

Carl Doe was convicted after a harrowing week-long trial which heard how he had raped the youngster.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard the 39-year-old drove his victim to self-harm amid a prolonged period of suicidal thoughts.

Diana Wilson, prosecuting, told the court Doe was arrested after his young accuser told what had been happening to her while confiding in a close friend.

Doe, a former Morrisons employee, was later arrested by police officers in the early hours of October 7, 2020 at his property in Croft Road, Clacton.

A victim impact statement read to the court said: “He told me no-one would believe me, but now I know they did.

“I’m suffering still to this day; I find it hard to trust people, particularly males, as I can’t trust they won’t rape me.

“He has stolen my childhood from me, I should have been safe and been able to do normal things other children could.

“When I was at school I would zone out just going over and over him raping me. I would be sat in class having flashbacks of what he did to me.”

Throughout the trial, Doe maintained his innocence and denied all charges he faced, but Judge Mary Loram QC sentenced him to 15 years imprisonment after a distressing trial.

He was found guilty of sexual assault, assault by penetration, inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and rape of a teenage girl with all sentences running concurrently.

Addressing Doe, Judge Loram said: “Your possessiveness and control of the victim became obsessive.”

Doe was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for life, and was made the subject of a lifelong sexual harm prevention order.