A sadist who has served long jail sentences for inflicting savage violence on vulnerable women is behind bars for eight years after terrorising a young mother he locked in his attic flat in Bradford.

Andrew Delsol, labelled a public danger by the judge, had previously been imprisoned for dominating, attacking and torturing three of his girlfriends.

Yesterday, he was given a 13 year extended sentence, comprising an eight year jail term followed by five years on extended licence.

Delsol, 50, was already the subject of a Violent Offender Order that bans him from contacting seven named women, including previous victims and females he befriended. He was only the third person in the country to receive such an order when the Lancashire Police went public in 2009, branding him a very serious risk to women, while he was living in a hostel on prison licence.

Last month, Delsol was found guilty by a jury at Bradford Crown Court of falsely imprisoning Nicola Slater, 35, in his attic flat in Gaythorne Road, West Bowling, over a four month period.

MORE TOP STORIES

He was also convicted of two offences of common assault, by causing her to fear violence from him, and one of illegally possessing a bladed martial arts weapon.

Miss Slater told the court she lived in terror of Delsol after going to live with him in the spring of last year.

She said he was "nice and polite" when they first met, in March, 2014, but soon became aggressive and controlling.

He locked her in the small flat for 12 hours at a time, frothed at the mouth with rage and threatened to "bust her skull open."

She was "treading on eggshells all the time," she said.

She escaped when she sought refuge at Bradford's Trafalgar House Police Station as Delsol followed behind her with the martial arts weapon tucked in his trousers.

In 2002, Delsol was imprisoned for eight years for subjecting a 16-year-old girl to almost a week of terror while holding her captive, including threatening to dismember her. He slit the vulnerable teenager's throat, repeatedly kicked and punched her and told her he was going to chop her up with an axe while she was still alive.

That sentence came less than three years after he was released from a 15-year jail term for torturing a Bradford woman with a blowtorch. He beat her with a stick, burned her and forced her out of an attic window with a rope around her neck.

At the time he was on bail and awaiting trial for a sadistic attack on a previous girlfriend while he was living in Bradford. He was jailed for two years nine months for the assaults, including fracturing her skull.

Delsol, who was in custody throughout his trial, yesterday represented himself in court after sacking three barristers.

He told Judge David Hatton QC: "I have no intention of harming anyone at all."

Prosecutor David McGonigal said: "There was no violence upon the victim in this case but the violence in the previous cases was serious and, in one case, horrific."

He said Miss Slater was emotionally scarred. She was isolated from her family by Delsol and left homeless, depressed and concerned for her future welfare.

Judge Hatton told Delsol he sought over four months to dominate Miss Slater's life and emotions.

"She was in great fear and you restricted her liberty by locking her in the flat for 12 hours at a time. She was terrified of you," he said.

"Your threats were frequent, intense and savage. You deliberately and knowingly scarred her emotionally by your conduct. You frothed at the mouth with rage and threatened to break her skull.

"She has suffered and continues to suffer emotional trauma and these scars may never leave her."

Judge Hatton continued: "You learned nothing from your past convictions, nor from the sentences you served. You are a dangerous man where vulnerable women are concerned. You present a risk to such people of serious harm."

Judge Hatton said Delsol will stay behind bars before beginning a closely monitored licence period.

After the case, Detective Inspector Pam Mills, of the Bradford District Safeguarding Unit, said: "Delsol is clearly a very dangerous man, and this has been reflected in the sentence which has been given to him.

"Police and partners worked closely with the victim throughout to make sure she could attend court and give vital evidence, which has led to today's successful conclusion.

"We would like to thank her for the courage she has shown in coming forward and reporting Delsol's crimes.

"Police in Bradford District are committed to working with partners to make sure that vulnerable people are given the protection they need.

"No one should suffer in silence and I would urge any victims of abuse to contact the police, who will investigate all reports sensitively and thoroughly with the aim of securing convictions against offenders."