A PARAMEDIC was jailed for 10 years yesterday after a judge said he had carried out a “grotesque sexual assault’’ on a teenage girl.

Mark Knight of Coulings Close, East Hendred, Wantage, admitted rape, attempted rape, two counts of sexual activity with a child and two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

All were committed during the early hours of January 11 this year. Robin Griffiths, prosecuting, said the 38-year-old subjected his victim to two periods of sexual abuse over a three-hour period. He told Judge Ian Pringle, sitting in Oxford Crown Court, that the girl protested “both verbally and physically’’ throughout the attack but was held down by Knight.

Mr Griffiths said his victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had not had sex before the ambulance worker raped her and was “hysterical’’ by the end of the assault.

Timothy Boswell, defending, said Knight’s best mitigation was his guilty plea, which had spared his victim from having to come to court and give evidence. He added that his client had always been a “contributing member of society’’ and had been drunk on the night of the offences.

Judge Pringle told Knight that instead of feeling guilty after raping his teenage victim, he instead went back and assaulted her again a short time later.

He said: “Despite her protests you have continued and subjected her to what can only be described as a grotesque sexual assault.’’ Knight was made subject to a sexual offences prevention order and will have to pay a £120 victims’ surcharge when he is released.