A MAN has been jailed for three years and nine months for a series of “beastly” sex offences against a teenager.

Clifford Cope, 25, of Beatty Avenue, Gillingham, forced his unwanted attentions on the girl, who was 16, on three occasions over a period of weeks.

Such was the impact of his behaviour that she had twice attempted to overdose, and was currently undergoing psychiatric treatment, said prosecutor Trevor Wright at Maidstone Crown Court.

Sentencing Cope, Judge Keith Simpson said: “If this had been an isolated occasion the court might take a different view overall. But this was a course of conduct... and you subjected this girl to experiences which will probably live with her for many years to come.”

The judge added: “Of course, it was not rape. Nevertheless this was a beastly course of conduct and it has quite plainly, seriously upset this young girl. Judges are bound to take into account the impact the crime has on the victims.”

Mr Wright told the court that the three offences of indecent assault happened during April this year, while the girl was staying overnight at a property in Gillingham that Cope shared with his girlfriend.

On the first occasion he went to the girl’s bedroom, came up behind her and grabbed her bottom, saying he wanted to sleep with her, and if she would let him he would leave her alone.

“She said no, and ran out of the room,” said Mr Wright. “He kept saying he was sorry.”

Two weeks later, however, the girl found herself alone in the house with Cope, whose girlfriend had gone out for the evening.

Again he went into her room, approached her from behind, pinned her to the bed face upwards. “She was shouting at him to get off.” He then performed a sexual act, before once again apologising.

The third occasion happened on April 19, while his girlfriend was asleep on a sofa in the living room. Cope went upstairs to the bedroom the girl was using to tape some music on the stereo.

He grabbed the girl by the waist, put her face down on the bed and held her down with one hand, while fondling her breasts with the other. He then put his hand down the back of her jeans and touched her bottom. Again he performed a sexual act.

“She was very upset and said she was having trouble breathing. Cope was telling her to be quiet because he didn’t want her to wake his girlfriend. Again he apologised and, as she described it, pretended to cry.”

The girl ran out of the house and into the street in extreme distress - followed by the defendant, who warned her against telling anyone what had happened.

Soon after that she telephoned a friend and the police were contacted. Cope was arrested at his home and claimed he had never touched the victim in a sexual way or indeed made any sexual advances to her.

DNA testing later revealed that the chances of her attacker being anyone other than Cope were one in one hundred million.

Annabelle Maxwell-Scott, defending, said her client accepted that these were serious matters and was under no illusion as to the likely sentence. “Clearly the strongest mitigating factor is his guilty plea,” she said.

He was extremely sorry that he had caused the girl and her family, and his own family, so much pain.

When the first two offences took place he had no insight into what he had done. He now realised just how much he had upset the girl and his attitude was that such a thing would never happen again.

Cope was jailed for 18 months for the first offence, 30 months for the second and three years and nine months for the third, all concurrent. An order was made under the sex offenders act preventing him from ever working with children.