Rapist threatened to kill girl if she reported him

Steven Rycroft admitted offences including rape

A man who raped a teenage girl and then threatened to kill her if she told anyone has been jailed for 10 years and five months.

Steven Rycroft, 43, sexually assaulted the girl after he had been drinking on a day out in the centre of Newcastle, the city's crown court heard.

The victim said she constantly felt "disgusted" and her life had been destroyed.

Rycroft, from North Shields, admitted offences including rape and sexual assault.

The girl told police Rycroft said he would kill her if she told anyone what he had done after she pushed him off her, prosecutor Anne Richardson said.

In a statement read to the court, the girl said the rape changed her life forever and she still felt "disgusted" by it.

She said she had had many sleepless nights and flashbacks while the pain Rycroft had caused her would be with her for the rest of her life.

Victim's bravery praised

Rycroft initially denied any wrongdoing but changed his pleas part way through the court process.

The girl said she was "happy" he did so but it was "strange" she felt that way, adding: "That isn't the sort of thing a normal [girl my age] should be happy about."

She also said she had feared for her life due to Rycroft's threat to kill her.

Judge Gavin Doig praised the girl's bravery for fighting Rycroft off and "for the way she is doing her very best to carry on with her life".

Rycroft must also sign the sex offenders register for life and an order was made banning him from being alone with girls under the age of 18 indefinitely.