A courtroom broke out in a round of applause after a man was jailed for historic sexual abuse.
Paedophile Martin Rowe, 45, was already serving an eight-year sentence for sexual offences, which he was jailed for last year.
His sentence has since been increased by an additional 11 years after he admitted to abusing a girl between the ages of seven and 15.
The former Army corporal and Kosovo war veteran was handed the new sentence at Truro Crown Court, in Cornwall, where a spontaneous round of applause broke out.
Rowe was initially jailed last year after he abused a seven-year-old girl and took photos on his phone. His conviction led to a second victim coming forward about historic sexual abuse.
She said seeing Rowe convicted had given her the courage to come forward with her own experiences, which she had spent years trying to forget.
The unnamed woman said: "I feel relieved I no longer have to carry this secret.
Advert
"This is 100 percent a new chapter for me and I can move forward and never have to face him again.
"For the last 20 years I would never know when he would come home (from overseas) and pretend to be my friend to everyone else.
"I carried my secret and buried it to the core. It affects your whole life. It is hard and I convinced myself that I never would get justice.
"Today was a massive day for me. I can now move forward and know it's not eating away at me anymore. I feel a totally different person."
She said she had caught Rowe looking at her out of the corner of his eye during the hearing.
"I had to find the inner strength or else I wouldn't be here today," she added.
"He abused me for nine years and in my adult life I started drinking heavily. Then I vowed that he took my childhood away so I had to deal with it so he wouldn't take any more of my life away.
"I'm hoping others will now come forward, not just with him but anyone who has been in that situation. These sick men need locking up."
Judge Linford told Rowe: "You groomed, manipulated and told the victim that she was special and that if she ever said anything she wouldn't be believed.
"When you joined the Army she got some respite, but when you returned you raped her and coerced her into sex even though it wasn't what she wanted.
"You told her you loved her and that you wanted to marry her.
"You have a highly relevant conviction which proves this was not an isolated set of offending and you have demonstrated that you had and still have deviant paedophile tendencies.
"You have now lost everything and cut a sad and isolated figure. None of your family want anything to do with you.
"The victim personal statement describes how the victim went from being a happy, confident girl to someone who suffers flashbacks and has had problems forming happy relationships and trusting men.
"She says you stole her innocence."
Featured Image Credit: SWNS