A pervert who sexually abused three girls was told by a judge he had “utterly destroyed their lives”.

Jailing Martyn Waller for 12 years, he added: “Your principal concern was yourself – your sexual gratification and your desire to hide that which you were doing behind a fog of drink.

“That is the excuse you put forward for your lack of memory. You have little insight into that which you have done.”

The bushy bearded 52-year-old committed the offences, spread over 12 years, in the Maidstone area.

He admitted five charges of sexual activity with a child, two of indecency with a child, two of indecent assault and one of attempted sexual activity with a child.

“You have utterly destroyed the lives of three young women" — Judge Philip Statman

Prosecutor Richard Cherrill said one of the victims told of being scared of Waller as he had been violent to her. “He clearly dominated her,” he added.

“He took advantage of females at various stages to have his way, regardless of the consequences.”

Judge Philip Statman said: “There is enormous psychological damage this man has done.”

The judge said it was a highly complex and sensitive case.

Waller, who has been living rough in a tent, had sex with one of the girls, but his not guilty plea to rape was accepted by the prosecution.

“The impact of your offending has been profound,” said Judge Statman. “You destroyed her formative adolescent years. Part of her knew what you were doing was wrong, but she as a child had no one to turn to.

“She was young and vulnerable. You controlled her. She made suicidal attempts and self-harmed. She has reported that which you did to her in a most grave and complete way.”

The impact on one of the other victims, with whom he also had intercourse, was also severe. She felt worthless and was frightened to complain.

Waller attempted to have sex with the third girl but was disturbed.

“You have utterly destroyed the lives of three young women,” the judge told him.

Waller admitted he “felt like some sort of monster” and stated the sentence “should be as long as it needs to be” and he did not mind how long it was.

But Judge Statman added: “It is troubling that you still don’t accept you have sexual interests in children.”

He said he was only just persuaded that Waller did not qualify for dangerous provisions which would have led to an extended sentence.

Waller’s name will appear on the sex offenders’ register for life.

"Waller is a predatory paedophile, who subjected young children to the most appalling abuse and used their fear to ensure they complied with his demands" - Det Con Emma Crombie

Following the sentence Det Con Emma Crombie said: "Waller is a predatory paedophile, who subjected young children to the most appalling abuse and used their fear to ensure they complied with his demands.

"I would like to thank the victims, who have been incredibly brave to come forward and give evidence against Waller.

"Sadly, they will no doubt carry the mental scars of his crimes with them for a long time but I hope they will be able to move forward from this, knowing he is now serving a lengthy prison sentence.

"Successful convictions such as this are just one of the reasons we continue to urge anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse to contact the police.

"It is never too late to report any sexual offence and we will always treat any information with the utmost confidence and sensitivity."

An NSPCC spokesman said: "Waller carried out a campaign of horrendous abuse for his own sexual gratification and robbed three young girls of their childhoods.

"Thanks to their tremendous courage in speaking out, he is now facing the consequences of his depraved actions.

"We hope that Waller's victims receive the right help and support so they can recover from their ordeals and move forward with their lives."