A former 'super-headteacher' has been jailed for 16 years for sexually abusing and raping a child.

Lee Brumby, 64, was handed his sentence on Friday after being found guilty in August of five sexual offences against the same girl.

Judge Richard Conley told him: "No doubt, the pupils and the parents of the pupils who attended the schools at which you were a teacher and a headteacher will be aghast when they learn, if they haven't already learned, about the kind of man in whose charge they placed their children."

Brumby was "a respectable and well-respected pillar of the community", he said, so "it must have come as an enormous shock to learn what it was you were doing, hiding in plain sight."

In a statement read out at Basildon Crown Court, the victim revealed that the offences continue to haunt her and affect her daily life.

She stated: "I live with constant fear.

"I suffer from night terrors that wake me up in the middle of the night, leaving me shaking, panicked and unable to go back to sleep.

"Because of this, I am always tired, drained and never truly rested."

Brumby, from Witham, Essex, showed no emotion throughout the sentencing hearing.

"You continue to deny these offences," Judge Conley pointed out. "Not only have you not shown any remorse for any admitted behaviour, you have appeared throughout to seem cold and unfeeling."

Brumby was found guilty in August of two counts of child rape, one count of indecency with a child and two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

Defence barrister Peter Rouch KC made no admissions of guilt or expressions of remorse on Brumby's behalf, stating that he still had the "full support" of his own family and his new wife's family.

Seven supporters, including his new wife, were present in the public gallery.

His former wife, also a teacher from Essex, turned out to be one of the key witnesses in securing his conviction, as she confessed to being present during some of the abuse.

Despite her confession to the police, Brumby continued to deny everything, forcing his traumatised victim - who initially disclosed her abuse to friends and a Rape Crisis counsellor - to give evidence at Southend Crown Court.

The victim stated that Brumby first abused her when she was around five or six, making her play a game where she was a waitress and would have to comply with his sexual demands.

The victim was therefore "extremely young and vulnerable", prosecutor David Baird pointed out.

Following that initial incident, he said, there was "a sustained period of abuse".

Brumby was convicted of offences continuing until his victim was approximately 9 to 11 years old.

The crimes occurred so long ago that the victim was unable to be any more specific.

Brumby suggested the victim was mentally ill - a claim Judge Richard Conley said was not supported by any evidence whatsoever.

Despite his ex-wife confirming to police that he had engaged in sexual activity in the presence of a child, he continued to deny it.

The victim recounted several instances where the couple had sex in front of her.

His ex-wife, Elaine Cotton, 62, from Great Wakering, Essex, admitted that the victim was telling the truth, but claimed that her coercive and controlling ex-husband had forced her into it.

"It wasn't my choice," she stated, expressing her deep mortification and disgust at what Brumby had made her do, leaving her in tears.

"I hated my husband with a passion," she confessed. "I didn't know what to do... I just decided it was easier just to keep quiet."

Ms Cotton was tried alongside him but was acquitted after convincing the jury that she was a victim of her controlling and coercive husband, whom she 'hated' and feared.

When informed during his own police interview about Mrs Cotton's admissions, Brumby retorted: "I dispute that 100%. That makes me sound like a weirdo."

However, the jury did not believe him.

The trial revealed that Brumby was a respected "super-head", specialising in turning around failing schools.

He left teaching amid strikes in the late 1980s to become a police officer, but later returned to education for a better quality of life.

He worked for several schools in the Essex area.

Brumby presented the jurors with glowing character references from fellow educators.

However, the jury also learned about his dark side.

Mrs Cotton revealed he stopped her from socialising and working, repeatedly betrayed her trust through infidelity and then abruptly disappeared from her life.

Judge Conley branded Brumby "a deeply selfish man" who exploited his victim driven by "a selfish desire to satisfy your own sexual needs and wants", inflicting "severe psychological harm" upon her.

"Your behaviour to the victim in her youth and during your 40s has left a trail of devastation in its wake," he stated.

He handed Brumby a 16-year prison sentence plus one year on extended licence.

He will remain ineligible for parole until 10 years and 8 months into his sentence.