Retired paramedic Arwel Roberts jailed for sex offences
A retired paramedic from Flintshire has been jailed for 16 years for a series of sex offences.
Arwel Roberts of Greenfield near Holywell, denied 12 charges against three victims, including one of child rape.
The 63-year-old was convicted by a jury last month at Mold Crown Court.
The judge said the impact on the victims had been profound and Roberts showed a lack of empathy despite suffering a difficult childhood.
Prosecuting, Sion ap Mihangel said a girl under the age of 13 came forward and told how she had been sexually assaulted by Roberts 10 years ago.
The court heard that an investigation revealed two others had also been sexually assaulted at an earlier stage, one of them back in the 1980s.
Mr ap Mihangel said all three victims made similar allegations.
Groomed and manipulated
Henry Hills, defending, said his client appreciated that he would receive a significant sentence.
He said Roberts was a man of previous good character, having served in the Royal Navy before starting his career as a paramedic.
He retired from the ambulance service in 1999 because of a work-related injury.
Judge Gaynor Lloyd said the defendant had groomed and manipulated his victims to abuse them for his own sexual gratification.
But he continued to deny any wrong doing and saw himself as the victim.
Sentencing Roberts, Judge Lloyd warned that he would not automatically be released after he had served eight years and would only be released as "an offender of particular concern" if the parole board decided he was no longer a risk.