A Territorial Army soldier who raped a teenager because she touched his foot has been given a 15-year prison term.

Gary Price - branded by a judge as "arrogant and manipulative" - subjected his teenage victim to a violent sexual attack.

Now the 28-year-old has been given a 12-year jail sentence and told he must serve an extra three years on licence when released.

A jury at Canterbury Crown Court convicted the part-time squaddie, of Connaught Road, Margate, guilty of three rapes and having sexual activity with a child.

Judge Adele Williams told him: "You are an arrogant and manipulative young man, who has shown a long standing sexual interest in children."

"When you say you have no sexual interest in young girls the only person you are deluding is yourself..." - Judge Adele Williams

Price was 10 years ago given a police caution for exposing himself to children, which he repeated when he met his 13-year-old victim.

Prosecutor Simon Taylor told how Price befriended his victim and attempted over a number of months to persuade her to engage in sex with him.

He sent her texts and engineered meetings in the town before luring her back to his home and raping her.

The prosecutor said Price "essentially smuggled her inside his home" and told the girl that if she saw his mother she was to claim she was aged 18.

Mr Taylor said that in the morning, the pair argued and she touched his feet.

"He seemed to change when she touched them as he seems to have some issue with his feet," he added. "He told her that he had head-butted some other girl previously who had touched his feet."

The court heard the violent bully then used violence to perform anal rape on his terrified victim, who alerted the authorities later.

Police went to arrest Price, who replied: "Rape? I know what happened here. Someone lied to me."

ut Judge Williams ordered him to sign the Sex Offenders' Register and made him subject to a Sex Offences Prevention Order for life.

She ruled that Price still posed a threat to young women, telling him: "You are still in denial and lack insight into your offences.

"When you say you have no sexual interest in young girls the only person you are deluding is yourself.

"Your offences will have a long-lasting detrimental effect on your victim."