A man who repeatedly raped a teenage girl after dragging her into a Lowestoft alleyway has been jailed for 10 years. Kieran Alexander, 21, grabbed his 15-year-old victim and subjected her to an “appalling” sexual attack.

A man who repeatedly raped a teenage girl after dragging her into a Lowestoft alleyway has been jailed for 10 years.

Kieran Alexander, 21, grabbed his 15-year-old victim from behind in Windsor Road and, after telling her he had a knife, subjected her to an “appalling” sexual attack, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Sentencing Alexander, Judge Neil McKittrick said he had effectively kidnapped the girl, who was a virgin, and used her to gratify his lust.

He said: “A 15-year-old girl was doing something as routine as walking home from a youth club she attended. How can it be that a girl like that, doing something as innocent as that, should end up being the victim of a series of distasteful, obscene crimes?

“Before she could get to her home, she was effectively kidnapped by you, attacked by you and subjected to appalling sexual conduct which was degrading, embarrassing, demeaning and unpleasant.

“I intend to play my part in reassuring people they can go about their normal day to day life without you in any way attacking them for a long, long time to come.”

He said that he had come to the conclusion that Alexander, who was living at the Phoenix House hostel in Kirkley Cliff Road, Lowestoft, posed a danger to the public after hearing that in March last year he had grabbed a woman from behind in Yarmouth and tried to pull her into an alleyway. On that occasion he had put his arm across the woman's neck and his hand over her eyes before she fought back and managed to escape. Alexander was subsequently convicted of common assault.

Judge McKittrick said although that woman had not been sexually assaulted by Alexander, he considered the facts of that incident “highly relevant”.

“There is little doubt in my mind that if she hadn't fought back she would have had visited on her the sort of experience that this 15-year-old actually had. The facts are strikingly similar.”

The judge added that Alexander would have to sign on the Sex Offenders' Register indefinitely. He also made him the subject of an order to restrict his contact with children under the age of 16 and disqualified him from working with children.

Alexander, who used to live in Gorleston, admitted five offences of rape and three further offences of causing the girl to engage in sexual activity without her consent, sexual assault and robbery. The attack took place on January 11.

Kate Stephenson, prosecuting, said that Alexander had told his victim to be a good girl and said he had a knife. He had then put his hand over her mouth to stop her screaming before dragging her into an alleyway.

There he had pulled off her clothes before repeatedly raping her. At one point a car had passed by and Alexander had thrown a coat over her and put his hand over her mouth before continuing with the attack.

Before leaving he had gone through the pockets of her coat and took her mobile phone. He told her not to move for a few minutes after he had left and warned her that he would be watching her.

The girl had run home and her mother answered the door to find her with her trousers round her ankles and holding the rest of her clothes.

When Alexander's room at the hostel was searched the girl's mobile phone was found hidden under a pile of clothing. Forensic tests found his DNA in semen in the girl's hair.

Miss Stephenson said that since the attack, the girl had been scared to go out by herself and had been sleeping with her mother.

Philip Sutton, for Alexander, said he had not realised how young the girl was when he attacked her. He had no previous convictions for sexual offences.