A teacher who brutally raped a young girl twice and attempted to rape another woman has been jailed for 12 years.

Jerome Uche, of Deynecourt Gardens in Wanstead, attacked the 15-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, when she came from Germany to stay at his family home over Easter 1995.

On another occasion, again in 1995, Uche undressed, assaulted and attempted to rape a middle-aged woman, who also cannot be named.

In both cases it took years for the women to come forward.

The teenager only revealed what had happened to her during counselling for depression, which Snaresbrook Crown Court Judge William Kennedy said could well have been caused by Uche’s “heinous” abuse.

Sentencing Uche, Judge Kennedy said the 48-year-old had “betrayed the trust” of those around him by abusing the teenager when he was supposed to be looking after her.

“This case represents a tragedy for all involved in it but it is a tragedy of your making," he said.

“These offences are truly heinous, and a lengthy prison sentence is unavoidable.”

He added that it was a “great concern” that Uche continued to protest his innocence, despite being found guilty unanimously by a jury last month.

During the trial, Uche made a number of allegations about his victims as part of his defence.

Judge Kennedy said: “The fact that you made them at all shows absolutely no remorse or insight into the terrible harm you did to both of these women.

“At the time you told her (the teenager) to tell no-one of what you had done. Each of these is an aggravating factor.”

Uche was sentenced to 12 years for the first rape.

He was also sentenced for the following offences, which will run concurrently: he received 12 years for the second rape, three years for indecent assault, three years on a second count of indecent assault, two years for inciting a child to commit an act of gross indecency and seven years for attempted rape.

Uche was also put on the sex offenders register and banned from working with children under 18 for life.