Cardiff rape: Roland Long jailed for assaulting woman in 1980

Roland Long will serve at least two-thirds of his 10-year custodial sentence

A man has been given a 12-year extended sentence for raping a woman more than 40 years ago.

Roland Long, 67, from Nailsea, North Somerset, violently attacked the woman in the Roath area of Cardiff in 1980.

South Wales Police used new DNA technology to finally trace the attack to Long, who was then arrested in 2020.

He was given a 10-year custodial sentence and two years on extended licence after being sentenced at Newport Crown Court on Tuesday.

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke told Long he was a "dangerous man".

The court was told Long had a string of previous convictions, including being jailed in 2012 for making and taking indecent images of children.

Long's victim, who is entitled to lifelong anonymity, said she was "over the moon" at his conviction.

Rapist Roland Long was sentenced on Tuesday

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the woman said: "Since South Wales Police have been in contact, my sleeping pattern has been disturbed again. The incident has been on my mind and has caused me some anxiety.

"It is not something that you forget but going over the detail of what happen has brought back the rawness of it all."

Long will serve at least two-thirds of his 10-year custodial sentence and have to register with police as a sex offender.

The attack happened on 17 August 1980, but Long was not identified as the perpetrator until 2020.

'Just don't give up hope'

"I never ever thought that they would get him - I never thought they would," Long's victim told BBC Wales.

"I mean, I was really shocked, obviously. I thought 'you've got to be kidding, after 40 years?'

"He thought he got away with it, didn't he?" she added.

"After forty years, I never thought he would be caught. He's the one suffering now.

"Just don't give up hope if it happens - people should report it and don't lose hope."

Long was arrested and charged, but initially denied the rape. However, in January, he pleaded guilty.