A 31-YEAR-OLD man who raped a nine-year-old boy in a field a decade ago was finally brought to justice today.

Jason Dickenson was jailed for six years at Oxford Crown Court after being convicted of rape by a jury earlier this year. He denied the charge.

Dickenson was 20 at the time of the attack near Berinsfield, in June 1999.

His now-grown-up victim, who was praised by police for his courage in coming forward, said outside court: “It’s still a shock. I’ve now got to get over it.”

Dickenson, who was described in court as “borderline as far as learning difficulties are concerned”, used to hang around with children much younger than him at the time of the offence.

Judge Julian Hall, who oversaw his trial, said: “This is an inadequate man who when he was in a small village community played with the children and abused one of them.”

He added: “He had childish interests long after his peers had moved on.”

Nigel Daly, defending, said his client had yet to accept his guilt and “finds it extremely difficult to interact socially”.

He added: “He doesn’t understand fully the serious situation he is in. Neither do his parents. The effect of custody will be devastating. While in prison he will always be a target for attack.”

Jailing him for six years and making him sign the sex offenders’ register for life, Judge Hall told Dickenson: “The effect that it’s had on that lad is serious. So much so that he gave quite traumatic accounts of it when he came to give evidence, which was extremely uncomfortable for him.

“I’m going to go below what the sentencing guidelines suggest because you in yourself were behaving as if you were much younger at the time when you committed the offence.”

Speaking outside court, the victim’s sister said: “He just took advantage of a little kid.

“I’m happy with the outcome as we thought it would be a bit lighter.

“I recall something not quite right was going on, but to now know that something happened and exactly what my brother went through over the years has made me realise what he has done.”

Describing Dickenson, she added: “He’s not completely all there, but he knows right from wrong and he knew what he’d done.”

Dc Claire Routledge, who led the investigation, said: “I am pleased with the result, which sends out a clear message that the historical reporting of sexual assaults will be investigated thoroughly by police and dealt with robustly by the courts.

“I would like to commend the victim for having the courage to come forward and testify, and I hope they can now get on with rebuilding their life.”