July 2023 Lancing man jailed for 18 years for raping his step-daughter A Lancing man who repeatedly raped his step-daughter when she was between 12 and 16 years old has been jailed for 18 years. Brian Hoad, 66, of Kings Road in Lancing, first attacked his victim in August 1985. Hoad raped his step-daughter ‘at every opportunity’ when she was aged between 12 and 16 in the 1980s in her family home. Hoad’s victim – who is now a woman – told police he continued to rape her ‘at every opportunity’ over the next four years, including when other family members were at home. She reported the abuse to Sussex Police on 3 June, 2021, and received support from specialist officers while an investigation was launched. Hoad was arrested the next day and, following a thorough investigation, was charged with four counts of rape of a girl under 16 and two counts of sexual assault on a girl under 16. He was found guilty of all charges at Lewes Crown Court on Friday, 14 July. At Lewes Crown Court on Monday (17 July), Hoad was sentenced to 18 years in jail and told he must serve a minimum of two thirds of that sentence before being eligible for parole. He was also given an indefinite restraining order prohibiting him from contacting the victim, indirectly or directly. In a statement submitted to the court, Hoad’s victim said: “I didn’t have the chance to truly understand what a normal relationship was. “For years I believed that relationships were about giving of yourself to the detriment of your own needs, people pleasing for the sake of family peace, not being able to express a contrary opinion for fear of vilification or retribution taken on other innocent family members. “You become a mask of yourself, learning skills no child should know to the point of never knowing who you truly are. You learn not to expect anything in life other than being subservient to the whims of someone else. “I left home believing that sex was all any man would ever want from me, even if I didn’t enjoy it.”