A MAN has been jailed for more than 14 years for raping a vulnerable young girl several decades ago.

Warehouse worker Martin Gorman, 54, of Springfield Road, Elland, was handed a sentence of 14 years and three months by Mr Recorder Abdul Iqbal at Bradford Crown Court, plus an extra year on licence.

He will have to serve at least nine years and six months before he is eligible for parole.

Gorman will also have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

The court heard how the victim had undergone years of therapy to help her deal with what had happened to her.

She eventually plucked up courage to go to the police.

Gorman pleaded guilty at a very late stage as a trial was about to begin, by which time the evidence against him was “overwhelming”, according to Recorder Iqbal.

In an emotional statement read out in court on her behalf, the victim said Gorman had taken her childhood from her and that she had lived her life under “a massive dark cloud” that had left her feeling irritable, anxious, and sometimes suicidal with what were described by Recorder Iqbal as “violent mood changes”.

She also suffered from emotional unstable personality disorder as well as severe psychological harm over two decades.

She said seeing him in court allowed her to get “closure and justice”, and that she felt she had been heard “for the first time in my life”.

She said: “This was never about me getting revenge.

“It was about having my voice heard.”

Commenting after sentencing, Detective Constable Jo Hamilton of Calderdale’s Child Protection Unit, who led the investigation, said: “This case just goes to show how important it is to report sexual offending to us, regardless of how much time has passed, as we will do all we can to get justice.  

“It took immense courage for the survivor to come forward and report the terrible sexual abuse that she suffered as a child. She has shown great strength and bravery throughout this process, and I hope the sentencing helps her get some closure on the awful events of her childhood.  

“I welcome the custodial sentence handed to Gorman today and hope it will give anyone who has been subjected to sexual offending the confidence to report it to us.”  

“We take all reports seriously and have dedicated specialist safeguarding teams who will be able to offer support throughout the investigation.”