by Keith Hunt

A sex beast who raped a young girl and forced her to have sex with a teenage boy as he watched has been locked up indefinitely.

David Richardson was told by a judge the sentence of imprisonment for public protection would reflect his "hideous crimes".

The 54-year-old pervert will have to serve a minimum of seven years before the parole board will consider his release.

If a determinate sentence had been passed, it would have been one of 14 years.

Judge Michael Lawson QC said: "No one can be anything other than horrified by the facts."

Richardson, of Roselands, Walmer, Deal, was convicted of rape and two offences of sexual activity with a child by unanimous verdicts and causing a child to engage in sexual activity by a majority of 10-2.

He denied the charges, claiming he suffered from "sexsomnia" and must have had intercourse with the girl when he was asleep.

Maidstone Crown Court heard he started abusing the victim when he was living near Faversham in 2005.

Peter Forbes, prosecuting, said Richardson would touch the girl and tell her she was special.

On one occasion, he started drinking and went to the girl and ran his hands over her body, telling her: "Don't worry, everything will be OK."

"He put his hand over her mouth to stop any noise and he raped her," said Mr Forbes. "She told him she still didn't want it. He said it would be over and done with soon."

"no one can be anything other than horrified by the facts…” – judge michael lawson qr

Richardson threatened the girl that he would beat her if she told anybody.

When he was arrested in March last year, he strenuously denied having any sexual contact with the girl.

But his lies were about to be exposed by DNA evidence, said the prosecutor.

It was when he was presented with the "damning and overwhelming" evidence, he claimed he must have had sex with the girl without knowing it.

After reporting the rape and other abuse, the girl told a social worker that Richardson had forced her and a boy to have sex after he rolled a cannabis joint and she had a few puffs.

She described Richardson watching smiling as if to say: "Ah, made you do it." The boy, she said, was crying and saying he was sorry.