A rape victim has spoken about his trauma in the hope of inspiring others who have been attacked to contact the police.

Laurence Kimmins, 20, was sexually abused by his grandmother’s partner between the ages of ten and 13.

Just days after his abuser, Christopher Morgans, was jailed for 14 years, Mr Kimmins has waved his right to anonymity in the hope of persuading other attack victims will come forward.

Mr Kimmins, of Portslade, said: “I don’t think I will ever forget what happened. Some of it I still relive in my mind and it still haunts me to this day.

“At first I thought I could deal with it by myself. But the more I thought about it, I knew I couldn’t go on until I had dealt with the past.

“I hope it will give other people the confidence to come forward and deal with other things from their past.”

The first time Mr Kimmins spoke of the abuse was in an argument with his mother in 2007.

With the support of her and Sussex Police, he gave evidence in court.

Morgans, 61, of Portslade, was found guilty of three counts of raping a male under 16 and three counts of indecently assaulting a boy under 14 at Lewes Crown Court last week.

The court was told the abuse happened while Mr Kimmins' grandmother was at work.

Mr Kimmins said: “It wasn’t easy to come forward. That’s why it took so long. But at the end of the day it has all been worth it.

“The sentence was longer than I thought but it doesn’t take away what he did to me.

“I’m just glad justice has been done as it stops him doing it again to anybody else.

“Before I spoke to someone I couldn’t think about things like college, a career or relationships. But now I can look forward and think about the future.”

Detective Constable Tami Rubens, of Sussex Police, said: "Laurence has shown tremendous courage in reporting to police the dreadful events which happened to him when he was a child.

"I hope the verdict and sentence go a small way at least to helping Laurence and his immediate family move on from what has happened, and they can start to rebuild their lives."

BLOB Are you a victim of sexual assault or rape? To report cases call 999 in an emergency or Sussex Police on 0845 6070999. For support and advice you can call the local Victim Support centre on 0845 389 9528.