A GWENT paedophile rapist has been jailed for 22 years for filming himself repeatedly sexually assaulting a young girl.

Martin McDonald, 53, began indecently assaulting the girl at his farmhouse home near Newport, and on fishing trips in his boat.

Cardiff Crown Court heard McDonald used her as a sex object, repeatedly raping and indecently assaulting her from when she was in primary school.

Police found a collection of videos the carpenter kept in an outbuilding of Ty Ffynnon farm, in Bettws, showing footage of his depravity.

McDonald was also violent to the girl as she got older, knocking her unconscious with a punch to the face on one occasion, and hitting her so hard he broke three ribs on another.

McDonald - known locally as the Beast of Bettws - pleaded guilty to six sample charges of rape, nine of indecent assault with a child, assault and grievous bodily harm,making indecent images of a child and possessing extreme pornographic images.

Prosecutor Matthew Cobb told the court: "He would take her out on fishing trips during the summer where she was required to perform sexual acts on him.

"The abuse escalated and there were several sequences of footage showing rape and sexual abuse."

The court heard that a huge amount of pornographic material and footage was found on 15 DVDs hidden away in McDonald's workshop at his farmhouse.

McDonald was finally caught after another teenage girl complained to her father that he had approached her.

In a victim impact statement the girl, now a woman in her 30s, said McDonald took away her childhood and her innocence and she still has nightmares.

McDonald, whose current address was given as Mill Heath, Bettws, was not represented in court after sacking his law team.

Judge Tom Crowther QC told him: "The abuse became an every day occurrence and she was completely sexualised by you and she was your hostage.

"She was a child you warped and twisted to your desire.

"You are a dyed-in-the-wool paedophile whose sexual interest in children has not abated and you pose a serious risk."

The judge ordered that McDonald serve at least two-thirds of his sentence before applying for parole, instead of the usual half, and barred him from having contact with chIldren under 16 when he is released.

He praised the woman from having emerged from her ordeal with courage.

Gwent Police senior investigating officer superintendent Steve Corcoran said: “This investigation uncovered the worst kinds of abuse over a protracted period, believed to be 15-20 years in total. The enquiry took 18 months to complete and involved dedicated detectives working throughout that period. Thousands of DVDs and videos were recovered and had to be viewed in order for us to present a full file of evidence to the courts.

“It is only right that this individual gets a custodial sentence and is taken off the streets to ensure he can’t abuse anyone else. We can never fully understand the affect this horrific abuse has had on the victim, although she is now receiving the support she needs from us and other agencies to ensure she can live her life as best she can. We would like to thank the victim for her bravery in coming forward and reporting the abuse. Gwent Police is dedicated to ensuring that all allegations, whether historic or current, are investigated and that victims get the support they need and perpetrators are brought to justice for their crimes."