April 2013 Cardiff man jailed for raping and terrorising schoolgirl has sentence increased at London’s Appeal Court A Cardiff sex predator, imprisoned for raping and terrorising a schoolgirl, had his “unduly lenient” sentence dramatically increased by top judges today. Colin Denton, 55, attacked the vulnerable girl in her own bedroom, London’s Appeal Court heard, pinning her down by her arms before forcing himself upon her. He threatened her with dire consequences if she complained and the victim was forced into a degrading sex act while in Denton’s car, Lord Justice Pitchford told the court. The girl was left profoundly traumatised and was for years plagued by recurring panic attacks, flashbacks and nightmares while she fought to come to terms with what Denton did to her. The attacks dated back more than a decade but the girl only found the courage to confront her past and go to the police two years ago. Her youth had been “ruined” by Denton, said the judge. Denton, a former publican, was jailed for nine years at Newport Crown Court in January after he was convicted of two rapes and counts of indecent assault. His case reached the Appeal Court as lawyers representing the Attorney-General, Dominic Grieve QC, attacked the sentence as “unduly lenient” and nowhere near tough enough for his appalling crimes. Lawyers for Denton , of College Road, Llandaff,  pleaded with the court not to up his jail term, pointing to his “cocktail” of health problems – including chronic chest pain and a bad back. But Lord Justice Pitchford, sitting with Mr Justice Royce and Mr Justice Turner, noted that Denton had declined work inside prison, preferring to “watch TV in his cell, read books and do the crossword”. The judge said there was little mitigation in Denton’s favour and agreed that the nine-year term was “manifestly” too light. Denton’s sentence was increased to 12 years.