2 September 2010 Last updated at 13:34 ET

Man jailed for raping Redditch lover's daughter

An IT worker who befriended a mother on an online dating website, then raped her 14-year-old daughter, has been given an indeterminate prison sentence.

Philip Brown, 37, formerly of Woodgate Valley, Birmingham, had moved into the Redditch mother's home and said he planned to marry her, a court heard.

Brown pleaded guilty on 20 July to two counts of rape and five counts of making indecent images of the daughter.

He must serve at least six years in jail, a Worcester judge said.

Police found more than 50,000 indecent images on Brown's computer, including 47 images at level four and three at level five, which is considered the most serious.

Public risk

He pleaded guilty to making indecent images of the girl and raping her while her mother was at work between September 2009 and April this year.

Brown also pleaded guilty to five counts of making indecent images of other children.

Judge Patrick Thomas sentenced Brown to an indeterminate sentence with a tariff of 12 years for the rapes and four years for making indecent images, to run concurrently.

The computer engineer must serve a minimum of six years in prison and also undergo a sex offender treatment programme.

Because the sentence is indeterminate Brown will not be released until he is deemed to pose no public risk, irrespective of the length of time he may have served in prison.

'Virtual friends'

He was also made the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order which restricts his internet use and will come into effect if he is released from prison.

Speaking after the sentencing at Worcester Crown Court on Thursday, Det Con Elaine Sloane, from the Bromsgrove child protection unit, said: "We are satisfied with the sentence today and hope that it will go some way towards helping the victim and her family rebuild their lives.

"We would like to remind internet users to be vigilant when using dating or social networking websites and not to disclose too much personal information.

"So called 'friends' in the virtual world may be deliberately hiding their true selves."