Former soldier jailed for rape of 12-year-old girl

A former soldier convicted of historic sex abuse involving two young girls was jailed for 11 and a half years today.

A judge told 74-year-old Roger Lee:

Liverpool Crown Court heard that Lee, who served 22 years in the Royal Artillery, including service in West Germany, committed the offences while living in Burscough, West Lancashire.

The first offence involving a 11-year-old girl took place in the late 1970s after he had been watching pornography on television. There was no sexual contact between them but he asked her to perform an indecent act which she refused, said Neville Biddle, prosecuting.

She did not reveal what had happened to her and it only came to light after he raped and sexually abused a 12-year-old girl in 2004, again after watching pornography.

The court heard that the first victim felt guilty about not reporting what happened to her as it might have saved the other girl becoming a victim. “The decision will haunt me to the end of my life,” she said in an impact statement.

Neville Biddle, prosecuting, said that after raping the second victim Lee apologised for what he had done but the next year indecently assaulted her with a sex toy. That victim told how it had:

It was during counselling that she revealed her ordeal and the police became involved and also learnt about the earlier incident on the other victim.

When interviewed Lee, who now lives in Woodlands Way, Mildenhall, Bury St Edmunds, claimed his victims had misunderstood.

Jailing him Judge Neil Flewitt, QC, said:

He said that his apology after raping the 12-year-old was “hollow and meaningless” and he had later assaulted her in “a degrading and humiliating” incident.

White haired smartly dressed Lee, who showed no emotion during the hearing, was ordered to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life and an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order was made.

Lee, who walks with a stick, had pleaded guilty to rape, assault by penetration and indecency with a child.

Jonathan Goodman, defending, said there were references that showed a man: