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A man who raped a teenage boy three times in a Norfolk town after making friends with him in a shop has been jailed for 19 years.

Lee Begbie, 71, of Fryup, near Whitby, North Yorkshire, was sentenced at Teesside Crown Court on Monday after the court heard the boy was attacked between January and October 2003 in Attleborough.

The victim went to the police in 2019 and Begbie was charged in 2021 with three counts of buggery with a child under the age of 16.

Investigating officer Det Sgt Matt Hendry, from Norfolk Police, commended the victim for his bravery in giving evidence and said he had protected people from a "dangerous offender".

Begbie was found guilty after a week-long trial.

The court heart the boy was raped after Begbie befriended him in a shop and then lured him to his home by inviting him to look at his car before assaulting him, police said.

In a personal statement, the victim told how he felt "numb and scared" for years afterwards.

"I got to the point before I came forward, that I had planned how I was going to end my life," he said.

“The offences committed against me directly led to me being unable to deal with the emotions, which ultimately led to my marriage failing.

"I missed a lot of my own children growing up, due to being emotionally unavailable for them and not being able to support them as much as I would want to."

Det Sgt Hendry added: "This sentence goes some way to reflect the gravity and seriousness of Begbie’s offending and the significant impact it has had on the victim and his wider family.

"I hope this sentence assists with his ongoing recovery and moving forward with what has happened."

The judge sentenced Begbie to nine years in prison for the first rape, nine years and six months to run concurrently for the second offence - and 10 years for the third attack, to run consecutively.

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