A Bradford teenager has been locked up for 12 years for a catalogue of rape and sexual assault offences against his young sister.

The traumatised 13-year-old girl ran away from home after her brother subjected her to five years of abuse in her bedroom at the family home.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was convicted by a jury at Bradford Crown Court last month of eight sample charges of rape and four of sexual assault.

Yesterday he was sentenced to 12 years’ detention by the Recorder of Bradford, Judge Roger Thomas QC who told him: “You are in many ways a decent enough young man, but there has been a dark side to your life for some years.”

The teenager, who had done well at college and gained an apprenticeship, began abusing his sister when she was eight years old.

Prosecutor Gerald Hendron said the abuse escalated to rape when she was ten.

The teenager, who is four years older, showed his sister pornographic videos and ordered her to do what was on them.

He told her not to be “a wuss” when she started to cry when he was abusing her.

The police were alerted after the girl went missing after school after telling a friend what her brother had done to her. When she was found, she disclosed the abuse to a police officer.

The “messy” family home in Bradford was examined by scenes of crime officers and DNA evidence found to support the girl’s account.

The teenager’s barrister, Kate Batty, said he had owned up to his probation officer that he was guilty of the offences after denying them in front of the jury.

Mrs Batty said it was “an incredibly courageous move” for a young man who could not before face up to what he had done. “This is a very sad day for the family,” she told the court.

“He must have known that what he was doing was wrong but not how it would affect his sister for the rest of her life.”

The girl had been disturbed and misbehaving at school and her behaviour had now greatly improved.

An adult offender would have been imprisoned for at least 15 years. The teenager must register with the police as a sex offender for the rest of his life and the judge made an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention order to protect the victim and other children.

After the case, Detective Constable Chantel Markham said: “This has been a traumatic and lengthy case for all parties involved.

“The victim has shown great courage throughout the investigation and court processes.

“It is hoped that this sentence will give her a degree of closure and it is hoped that this case encourages other victims of sexual assault to come forward and report it to the police.”