A van driver has been jailed for 11 years for luring a 13-year-old girl who was walking to school, into his van before raping her

Denis Kadena, 34, initially followed the girl in his vehicle in Totton, Hampshire, in September 2022, police said.

She accepted a lift from Kadena, who she did not know, and was raped and sexually assaulted, detectives added.

Kadena, of Yorke Road in Southsea, was also handed a four-year licence extension at Southampton Crown Court.

The defendant drove past the girl and winked at her as she walked to school on 14 September, police said.

He took her to a layby on Hill Street and lured her into the back of the van where he raped her before dropping her off near the school, detectives added.

Six days later, he was arrested after a patrol officer matched him and his van to the girl’s description.

Kadena was convicted by a jury in March of two rapes and one count of sexual activity with a child.