He played what was referred to in court as the ‘nipple cripple game’ with her and repeatedly sexually assaulted the girl.

In a victim personal statement summarised to Reading Crown Court by prosecutor Walton Hornsby, the now mum-of-four said the abuse had ‘overshadowed’ her life. She had suffered ‘severe’ post-traumatic stress since the ages of 12-13.

Mr Hornsby summarised: “She described frequent nightmares which, as I understand it, still occur, with her flashbacks to incidents that occurred when she was a little girl. She has described a form of paranoia about the possibility of the defendant getting into her bedroom.”

In May, Clargo was found guilty of five counts of indecent assault and child cruelty, committed in both the UK and Europe. He was acquitted on other similar charges.

Sentencing, Recorder Stuart Trimmer QC derided the defendant’s abuse of his vulnerable victim as ‘dreadful behaviour’ committed over a matter of years.

The judge said: “It is said you weren’t sadistic and made bad decisions. I reject that and form the view you became just that; sadistic.

“Put very shortly, you wrecked her life. She may recover, but you did her enormous damage.”

Clargo, of Mablethorpe, Lincs., will serve half his sentence before he is eligible for release. He will be on the sex offender’s register for life.