A MAN who raped and sexually assaulted a child, videoing his depraved acts as she lay clutching her teddy bear, has been jailed for life.

Sentencing Judge David Mitchell said 38-year-old Robert Mitchell had preyed on the little girl mercilessly.

Before hearing the case, the judge watched the harrowing videos recorded by Mitchell and said in his 34 years' experience at the bar and on the bench, they were probably the worst videos he had ever seen.

Mitchell, whose last address was at Thanington Road, Canterbury, had admitted 12 charges between 1999 and 2003 involving the young girl.

He was given life for two rapes and concurrent sentences of three and five years for nine other offences of indecency with a child, indecent assault and taking indecent photos. A concurrent six months was passed for possessing indecent photos. Mitchell must serve at least seven and a half years before being considered for parole.

When released he will be on licence for the rest of his life as well as on the Sex Offenders Register and subject to a life time sexual offence prevention order.

Among material recovered by police was a notebook relating to a woman at a hostel where Mitchell, who had lived at various addresses, had been staying. In it, he made comments of a lurid sexual nature and in another entry spoke of a woman saying he would kill to have sex with her and would even rape her if she got really drunk or drugged up.

Mitchell had been thrown out of the marital home in 2003 and the court heard a statement from his estranged wife of his insistent sexual demands and it was a feature for him to make videos.

Mitchell's lawyer, Colin Aylott, said Mitchell apologised to the victim and her family and didn't seek to minimise the gravity of his offences. "He is a man who has lost everything," said Mr Aylott.

Judge Mitchell told the accused he had pleaded guilty to offences concerning the most depraved and disgusting sexual acts with a child and had treated the child more like an object that a human being for his sexual gratification.