THE relative of two sexual assault victims says he wants to “castrate” the man who abused his loved ones.

Robert Ind, of Normandy Crescent, Oxford, was jailed for three-and-a-half years at Oxford Crown Court this week.

The family of the two victims as well as a charity have condemned the sentence as “a slap in the face”.

The 65-year-old retired builder pleaded guilty to seven counts of child abuse, which took place between April 2005 and January 2012.

They included five counts of sexual assault relating to two girls and two counts of inciting one girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

The relative, who cannot be named to protect the identities of the victims, told the Oxford Mail that Ind abused two of his female relatives, one when she was just seven years old.

Both victims were often looked after by Ind and his wife, and he said both were abused by someone who his family put their trust in.

The relative said the secret shame of the betrayal caused one of the victims, now 15, to become withdrawn in her teens and damaged her relationship with family members.

He said: “We had a really, really close relationship until about two years ago when she began to withdraw herself from me. It’s affected her confidence.

“I could castrate him, I’m absolutely fuming. I’m in tears right now just thinking about it, it’s very upsetting.

“You always think it’s something which isn’t going to happen to you, to your family, it’s horrible.”

Reacting to the sentencing, he said he was “stunned” by the length of time Ind would spend behind bars.

He said: “I thought it would be five or six years. Three-and-a-half years is not long enough for what he’s done. He has broken my family. She [one of the victims] is going to have to deal with this for the rest of her life.”

Benjamin Narain, defending, said his client had no previous convictions and was otherwise of good character.

He said: “Although this case is clearly serious, it is not the most serious of this type. The likelihood of Mr Ind re-offending is low.”

Dressed in a bright orange jacket in the dock, Ind looked down and shook his head as Judge Patrick Eccles passed sentence. The judge told him: “The last thing you would have expected is to end up in prison at your age. But it is entirely your own fault for behaving in such an appalling way towards these two young girls.”

He was also made subject to an indefinite sex offenders prevention order banning him from unsupervised contact with children.

Speaking after the hearing Marilyn Hawes, founder of charity Enough Abuse UK, said Ind’s sentence was “just ridiculous”.

She said: “It is really appalling and a real slap in the face for the family. It’s enough to make you lose faith in the entire legal system.

“Abusers give their victims and their families a life sentence. Their lives have been turned upside down.”

Investigating officer Dc Jeff Wheble praised Ind’s victims for coming forward.

He said: “Both victims have shown immense bravery in disclosing the abuse they have suffered.”

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said it had no plans to appeal against the sentence.