A JUDGE has described a St Neots man as truly evil and sentenced him to life imprisonment for raping two young girls. Ivan Overton, 61, of Queen s Gardens, was found guilty of 20 counts of rape and two of indecent assault spanning a period of almost 30

A JUDGE has described a St Neots man as "truly evil" and sentenced him to life imprisonment for raping two young girls.

Ivan Overton, 61, of Queen's Gardens, was found guilty of 20 counts of rape and two of indecent assault spanning a period of almost 30 years.

In addition to his life sentence, Overton, also had a Sexual Offences Order imposed on him, banning him from being in contact with anyone under the age of 16.

On Monday at Peterborough Crown Court, Judge Nicholas Coleman said: "It is impossible not to feel totally repulsed by what the victims have said happened to them. You treated one girl like your slave. She was used as your sexual plaything and you were having sex with her whenever and wherever you wanted it. Then you raped another girl. More wrongly you deny it.

"You claim it was she who raped you. You are, I think, truly evil and I take the view that, in your case, a life sentence is appropriate."

The offences were said to date back to the mid 1970s with one victim being repeatedly raped by Overton over 27 years.

"One girl was aged seven or eight when you first assaulted her and that continued year after year after year," added Judge Coleman. "I heard the victim speak in court and it was a harrowing listening."

Overton, who has curvature of the spine and is awaiting a feeding tube to be fitted as he cannot digest solids, denied the charges against him but was found guilty.

Defending Overton, John Lloyd-Jones said: "He is not a well man. He has had a difficult upbringing. At the age of five or six his father hanged himself and he had difficultly reading and writing, which led to him being bullied at school."

Prosecuting, Luke Blackburn said what had happened to the victims would affect their lives for ever: "The victim is doing her best to wash her hands of the whole matter and put it behind her as best she can.

"These crimes against her have had a devastating affect on her life and will continue to do so for many years to come, if not for the rest of her life."

Speaking after the court case, one of Overton's victims said it would still be difficult to move on: "I wish it was like that, but this sentence does not make any difference." She said that the police had been very supportive and thanked the jury for listening to her evidence in court.

"I understand it would have been very harrowing and some members of the jury were really distressed by what they heard," she said.

She added that had she not gone to the police she thought she was "going to kill him". She said: "It was either do something about it or end up in prison."

Det Con Andrea Gilbert, of Cambridgeshire police child abuse investigation team, said: "This was a complex, harrowing and emotional case and the police are pleased with the verdict for both the families involved."

Overton may be eligible for release after seven-and-a-half years.