A church-going child rapist has been jailed for 15 years for a series of attacks on his victim over five years.

Kwesi Van Dyck, 45, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court today after a jury heard he had confessed to his pastor about his crimes, that happened at a house in Wallington.

Sentencing the father-of-two today, Judge Anna Guggenheim QC, said she was unconvinced of Van Dyck's remorse.

She told him: "You claim that you are full of remorse, but I'm afraid I don't think your remorse is sincere.

"You will simply say whatever it is you think will help you. You let this come to trial by not pleading guilty and you have since confessed, but I am not going to give you any credit for that.

"During the trial witnesses and the victim were alleged to have lied and made out to be scheming, where as it was you who was lying."

"You subjected the victim to your degrading and humiliating sexual demands and you expected her to continue to suffer in silence."

The court had heard Maria Culling, defending, claim the victim could have rubbed her underwear on his to implicate him. The child’s underwear police examined contained Mr Van Dyck’s semen.

Mr Van Dyck, of Bishopsford Road, Morden, was told by the judge the shortest sentence she could impose was 15 years.

Parts of the victim's impact statement was read out in court, explaining how at 11, when she was first raped by Van Dyck, she was "confused" as to what was happening, and how she now "trusted nobody".

During the trial, the victim’s mother broke down in court as she recalled when she confronted Mr Van Dyck.

She said: "I asked him if he had raped her, he nodded his head, but I wanted to hear him say it. I asked him again and he said ‘yes’.

Her victim impact statement said her whole family "had been destroyed" as a result of Van Dyck's actions.