A man who sexually abused a boy when he was himself a youngster has been locked up for 10-and-a-half years.

Ashley Challis, 21, was about 13 when he started molesting the victim, who was six years younger, and went on to rape him.

Challis, of The Brent, Dartford, admitted two offences of rape and one of causing or inciting a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity shortly before he was due to stand trial in December last year.

Maidstone Crown Court heard Challis, who was said to have had a traumatic upbringing and been placed in care at the age of 12, was in 2007 given a warning for raping a girl.

Prosecutor Paul Valder said Challis became friendly with the victim and then persuaded him to perform a sex act on him after telling him he “had something for him to do”.

The same thing happened over several months. Challis later showed the boy a pornographic Japanese cartoon showing a girl performing a sex act on a man and asked him to do the same.

The victim was to admit that he did not object to what was happening but added that he did not understand sex.

Mr Valder said more abuse took place in woods in the Sevenoaks area. On one occasion Challis bent the boy over a branch and had intercourse with him.

The victim eventually realised it was wrong but was scared of Challis and did not confront him. He avoided him and the sexual activity stopped.

Mr Valder said the boy did not at first tell his parents because he thought they would be angry and he would be blamed.

He eventually indicated to his father how angry he was and said he had something to tell him. He then revealed what Challis had done to him.

A statement by the boy’s family detailed how it had deeply affected their lives. The victim had attempted suicide and was receiving emergency psychological support.

“This is severe psychological harm. It is a catalogue of offending" - Judge Michael Carroll

Judge Michael Carroll said: “This is severe psychological harm. It is a catalogue of offending."

If he were sentencing an adult, he said, the starting point would be 24 years imprisonment.

He told Challis: “Although he didn’t put up any opposition and you didn’t use force, you didn’t need to use force. He didn’t know what was happening.”

The previous warning for raping a girl was a major aggravating feature.

“I bear in mind your very unhappy childhood and the degradation visited upon you which might give some explanation, but no excuse, for what you did,” said Judge Carroll.

He recommended that Challis serve part of his sentence in a “therapeutic prison” and undertake a sex offender programme.

Challis will be barred from working with children and vulnerable adults and his name will appear on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.