December 2007 Chef jailed for 18 years for rape of youths A HAMPSHIRE chef has been jailed for 18 years after he subjected two teenagers to prolonged sexual abuse. Paul Butler, 34, was convicted of 19 counts of rape, indecent assault and cruelty. Southampton Crown Court heard the cruelty charges involved Butler holding his hand over one victim’s nose and mouth so he had difficulty breathing, punching him in the kidneys and banging his head against a wall. Passing sentence, Judge Jeremy Burford QC said there were no psychological reports about the impact from the abuse the victims suffered, but from his observations as they gave evidence, they had both been badly affected. One, he said, had great difficulty in speaking about the matters in public, and the other had been so injured by the sexual assaults that he regarded them as “inevitable” and wanted them to be over as quickly as possible. There was no evidence, the judge added, that Butler suffered from a mental illness. The offences came to light when one victim told a friend and he then went to the police. Butler, of New Road, Portsmouth, had denied the allegations, claiming the victims had made up the stories about the abuse. In addition to the jail sentence, he was also banned from working with children and he was placed on the sex offenders register, both for life.