A smirking sex attacker has been sent to prison for 23 years for what a judge described as “a campaign of rapes”.

Vile Jamie Taylor had been convicted of 30 offences, many of which happened in towns across Kent including Dover, Deal, Folkestone and Maidstone.

The 42 year old ex-bouncer’s 11-year reign of terror involved attacks with a number of weapons including a baseball bat, wine bottle, knives and a shotgun, Canterbury Crown Court heard.

Many of the sickening rapes took place while Taylor, now of Flimwell in East Sussex, was high on cocaine.

Taylor leaned back on a chair in the dock smirking and shaking his head as details of his “sexual lusts” were recited by the judge before sentence.

Prosecutor Vivian Walters revealed how his victim was still suffering nightmares from his brutal attacks and had been diagnosed by doctors as suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

And when she went to the police to report the attack, she feared she wouldn’t be believed and might even be killed.

"It was a catalogue of sexual brutality... a campaign of brutal rapes" - Recorder Mark Van Der Zwart

But two officers did believe her and began an investigation which resulted in Taylor being sent to prison.

The judge, Recorder Mark Van Der Zwart, commended Detective Constable Natalie Davidson and civilian investigator Nicola Brown for their “exemplary” police work.

He added: “I want to commend these two officers, including former police officer Brown who carried on investigating this case.

“They have shown the highest standards of care and performed their duties in an exemplary way in the way they investigated and prosecuted this case.”

Many of the jury members returned to watch Taylor being jailed, after hearing horror accounts of rapes – including one in which he place a knife on the back of his victim as he carried out a savage and humiliating attack.

The judge said Taylor had shown contempt and had used cocaine regularly while carrying out “a catalogue of sexual brutality... a campaign of brutal rapes”.

He was jailed for 15 years for one series of attacks and the judge added another eight years for a further series, making a total of 23 years.