A MAN from Walcot will spend more than two decades behind bars after he abused his position of trust to rape and sexually abuse two girls.

Joseph Smith preyed on the girls for more than four years until he was arrested in June 2019.

The 37-year-old denied the charges and both survivors were forced to endure the two week trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court in November last year, where the jury found him guilty of nine counts of sexual assault and nine counts of rape.

Detective Constable Kerry Bromhall said: “Smith subjected the girls to years of physical abuse, not to mention the psychological torment that such abuse often leaves behind.

“I commend these young girls for their bravery, firstly in coming forward to report what happened to them, but also in continually reliving their experience through a lengthy investigation, hampered by Covid, and giving evidence at trial.

“I truly hope this sentence gives them the closure they need and the knowledge that Smith is no longer able to do this to anyone else.”

Smith, from Buckhurst Crescent, had been living in Wolverhampton when he began his abuse of the first girl by sexual touching, before raping her.

The abuse continued for several years until the girl found the courage to report what was happening to her.

When West Midlands Police’s Public Protection Unit began investigating, it emerged that Smith had also abused a second girl by sexually assaulting her.

He was jailed for 24 years at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Thursday, January 13, and will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life.