London man jailed for raping Devon girls

A man from London has been jailed for 18 years after being convicted of raping two Devon teenagers.

Brian Campbell, 42, from Turnpike Lane, was convicted of 20 sexual offences, eight of which were rape, by a jury at Exeter Crown Court.

The court heard that Campbell, who had pleaded not guilty, targeted the two girls from the ages of 11 and 12.

Judge John Neligan told him: "You used these girls serially and sexually for your own sexual gratification."

The first victim told Exeter Crown Court that Campbell had started sexually abusing her when she was 11 years old after brainwashing her and telling her he loved her.

She said that he had raped her regularly before she turned 18.

Richard Crabb for the prosecution said: "She estimates that she and Brian Campbell had intercourse between 200 and 300 occasions before she was sixteen.

"She merely submitted, she did not reciprocate."

'Witness bravery'

The court heard that Campbell, who used to live in Devon, also took indecent images of her on his mobile phone and saved them to his computer which police later seized.

A second victim told the court that Campbell had approached her when she was 12-years-old and started raping her six months later.

Judge Neligan said: "You systematically raped and sexually abused the two girls. You maintain your innocence and there is no shred of remorse."

Campbell was arrested after one of the girls told a friend who alerted a parent.

He was found guilty of committing three indecent assaults, two sexual assaults, two sexual offences, one count of sexual activity with a child and four counts of making an indecent photograph of a child.

Det Con Nicci Bailey, who led the investigation, said: "I would like to thank the victims and witnesses for coming forward.

"I praise them for their individual bravery in reporting this and telling someone about what was happening to them."