A RAPIST who hunted a drunk victim to attack, then filmed the sickening crime, has been jailed for 12 years.

The court heard his victim had been celebrating her 18th birthday in Newport City Centre when she was picked up by Andrew Shellard.

Shellard, 45, of Bishpool View, Newport, raped and sexually assaulted the young woman in his home after he coerced her into a taxi, which the case judge said was “tantamount to a form of abduction”.

Cardiff Crown Court heard that Shellard intentionally separated himself from his friends in the early hours on a night in September 2013 to go looking for a vulnerable drunk woman.

Judge David Wynn Morgan said the father-of-two “found what he was looking for”.

He was found guilty after a trial at Newport Crown Court before Christmas but continues to deny the offence.

The judge added: “She is significantly under half your age, she is younger than your own children. She was so drunk that she had been abandoned by her friends, who ought, incidentally, to be deeply ashamed of themselves.

“She was so drunk, she was unable to remember what happened between being refused entry to Lloyds bar and waking up with you on top of her.

“She was so drunk, she had no idea where she was or how she had come to be there.”

The judge said the former operations manager at recruitment firm Manpower caused the victim further humiliation by recording the sexual acts on his mobile phone.

Judge Wynn Morgan added there was “also a significant degree of planning particularly in the determined transportation of a very drunk young woman to your home by taxi which is tantamount to a form of abduction.”

He said the case was aggravated by Shellard specifically targeting a vulnerable victim.

In mitigation, his barrister Heath Edwards said: “He’s just about lost everything, he’s lost his good name, he’s lost his job, he stands to lose his home.”

Shellard will serve half of his sentence and serve the remaining six years on licence.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders' register and pay a £120 victim surcharge.

DC Lesley Cheverton, of Gwent Police, said after the sentencing: "This individual took advantage of a vulnerable woman and it is only right that he is given a custodial sentence of this length.

"We would like to pay tribute to the courage of the victim in contacting police and would encourage other victims to report offences to us.

"We and our partner agencies will give you all the support we can throughout the report, investigation and court process at what is an extremely traumatic time for a victim of a sexual offence”