She stood in the witness box and bravely faced the 'evil monster' who destroyed her life

Bravely, she stood in the witness box and described her 'nightmare'. Decades after she was the victim of what a judge described as 'barbaric' cruelty, she was finally able to tell the truth.

The woman was just a girl when Lewis Skelton left her physically and mentally scarred. He subjected her and two other children to horrific ordeals.

Skelton, 91, was sentenced to four years after pleading guilty to three counts of child cruelty this week. Manchester Crown Court heard the charges related offences in the 1970s and 1980s.

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Sentencing, Judge John Potter described the physical abuse Skelton committed as 'nothing short of barbaric', adding: "Bluntly, Mr Skelton, the truth is that you have escaped punishment for what you did.

"But life has not been so easy for your victims, who through that period have had to live with the regular psychological torment of what you did to them."

One victim chose to tell the court in person the impact Skelton had had on her life. She said: "This whole experience has had such a detrimental effect on me, both physically and mentally. I am a mere shadow of my former self.... withdrawn and untrusting.

"I have flashbacks where I can hear myself screaming in pain and shouting for help, but no one came to rescue me. The more I cried the worse the beating I got.

"Every single part of my life has been affected by this ongoing, relentless nightmare I am living on a daily basis. This evil monster [has] shown no remorse. I can still see the evil in his eyes and the darkness that he possessed."

The woman then told the judge: "I feel he deserves to go to prison, regardless how old he is. Please don't give him a suspended sentence. Please do not look at this frail old man sitting in front of you. This is the same man - Lewis Skelton, the evil monster.

"I want to read this in court and look Lewis Skelton in the eye so he can face up to what he has done." Judge Potter replied: "I think you have been incredibly brave in doing what you have just done."

Defending, Bob Elias questioned whether it was appropriate for Skelton to be jailed, given his age and frailty. "There would be absolutely no point sending a confused, frail old man into custody," he said.

The judge said he accepted prison would be 'difficult' for Skelton', but said he had to take into account the 'gravity' of the offences.