A SERIAL sex offender has been jailed for 12 years after raping and sexually assaulting six teenage girls.

Kemal Roma, 39, of no fixed address, was charged with one count of rape and seven counts of sexual assault including two by penetration and five by touching between March 2012 and September 2014 in Hastings.

He pleaded to one sexual assault by penetration and was found guilty at trial for the other offences at Lewes Crown Court.

He was made the subject of a sexual offences prevention order and was put on the sex offenders register for life when he was sentenced on Friday.

Detective constable Andrew Smith said: "This was a difficult case to progress and it took the victims a great deal of courage to come forward and to stand up and be counted against a defendant who is considered to be a manipulative bully.

"A serial calculating sex offender has now been convicted and received appropriate punishment for his disgusting crimes against vulnerable victims."