RAPIST CRIES AS HE IS GIVEN TEN YEARS
FORMER delicatessen boss Lorenzo Demarco has been jailed for ten years for repeatedly raping a teenage girl in the Eighties.The 53-year-old Italian systematically abused the youngster over a number of years while he was living and working in Haywards Heath.
The father-of-three, who ran Demarco's in New England Road, persistently molested the girl, beat her with a belt and insulted her.
But his crimes finally caught up with him when his victim, now 29, approached police in 1998.
Demarco, who used to live in Beech Hill, burst into tears and was led sobbing to the cells at Lewes Crown Court after being convicted of three counts of rape.
During a three-day trial, a jury heard how the abuse destroyed the girl's confidence in later life and she tried to commit suicide.
The victim said: "He was very intimidating.
He was just so nasty, very abusive.
"He hit me round the head and used his belt on me.
I lost my confidence completely because of what he did to me.
"He said that if I said anything then everybody would believe him.
"He said he would say I was saying it just to get attention.
"It has taken me a long time to face it.
I took an overdose.
It has affected me emotionally." Patrick McCahill QC, defending, asked Demarco in court: "In your interview with police you said you were being made to feel sick by these allegations.
How do you feel about them today?" Demarco said: "Even now I want the floor to open up and swallow me, it is so humiliating for me in front of these people.
I have never done anything like this." Sentencing, Judge Richard Brown said: "You humiliated the victim, mistreated her and repeatedly raped her.
This court has seen the dramatic effect that has had on her.
"Your plea of not guilty indicated to me not one grain of remorse and has in fact forced the victim to relive those dark and evil days." Demarco was sentenced to ten years for each of the three counts, ordered to run concurrently.
He was cleared of a fourth charge of rape.
He was also told he must sign the sex offenders' register.
As the sentence was read out, Demarco wept and as he was led away a young man in the public gallery cried out: "I love you dad."
