YESTERDAY we revealed how paedophile John Glyn Jones was sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment after a series of sickening sex attacks on two boys. One of his victims exclusively tells Ceri Hillier about his torment.

A simple visit to Nantyglo leisure centre began years of abuse for Peter (not his real name).

Evil paedophile John Glyn Jones, (pictured) 55, known locally as Nipper, was working there and he started grooming Peter, then aged six, for abuse almost immediately.

Now 24, Peter said: "He did that by taking a shine to me and had singled me out from the rest. He'd give me one to one tuition and make me feel special."

Cardiff crown court was told that at one time, Jones, of Roundhouse Close, Nantyglo, was the swimming instructor and used that position to cultivate relationships with his victims. First, the abuse which began 15 years ago took the form of touching. But later, Jones' attacks on Peter and another boy became horrific.

The court was told that serious sexual assaults were carried out at his desk, in the girls' changing rooms, after a swimming gala, in Jones's car, at his home, in the sunbed area of the leisure centre and in the swimming pool.

Peter said: "At the early age I knew it was wrong. Once he knew I was crying and didn't want to do it, he said if I told my mum and dad then they wouldn't love me. "He would make me feel if I did that, then I would spoil it for everyone." Peter hid the abuse from his family.

But when he heard that someone else had come forward, he could no longer hold onto his dark secret.

Peter said: "It was so humiliating. I told my mum and dad and said I think Nipper had been touching me. They didn't believe me at first but everything collected into place." For ten months, he was counselled by Victim Support, until he got the courage to go to the police.

He said: "They knew from what I was said, how it made me feel, only an abused child would know those things. They wouldn't have done all that work unless they believed me."

Jones was jailed in 1999 for ten years for other attacks, but that did not convince everyone that Peter was telling the truth. Jones denied the attacks took place. Judge Christopher Llewellyn Jones told Jones "you satisfied your perverted lust" during the attacks.

And even after Jones was sentenced to 18 years in jail for the attacks on Peter and another boy, put on the sex offender's register for life and told never to work with children, there are still those who question Peter's version of events.

He said: "Abuse is very difficult to prove. There are people still believing that Nipper hadn't done all the things he had done even with all the charges read out from the previous case.

"I still have counselling. My life has been ruined by this and I feel socialising is very difficult.

"I have given up sport and I started drinking more.

"It's a nightmare that's still going on. It affects every part of my life. "I wake up in the night regularly with panic attacks. It's not as bad as it was but there are times when I cannot sleep. I also block my family out sometimes.

"Being in such a close knit community it is difficult to keep my head up even though I'm telling the truth.

"It's difficult to walk down the street but I have my supporters and I think, 'Why shouldn't I?'."