A 54-year-old man has been jailed for 12 years after raping a teenager – who became pregnant and miscarried as a result of his crime – more than two decades ago.

Simon Paul De La Haye was found unanimously guilty of raping the woman at the end of a trial in October.

He refused to leave his prison cell to attend his sentencing in the Royal Court yesterday.

The victim, who was a 17 at the time and still at school, became pregnant as a result of the rape but miscarried the baby.

As well as the 12-year prison sentence, the court placed De La Haye on the Sex Offenders Register for a minimum of 20 years, and made a restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim or her family for the rest of his life.

Following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Alasdair Castle said: “This conviction sends a clear message – survivors of sexual offences will be listened to, believed, and supported.

“I wish to personally thank the victim for having the trust and confidence in us to investigate their case and remain patient throughout the criminal justice process.

“I would also like to recognise the commitment and dedication of the investigating officer DC Tamas Barta and the Law Officer’s Department for obtaining this successful outcome for the victim.

“The States of Jersey Police will continue to ensure victims are supported through the criminal justice process and urge other victims of sexual crimes to seek help or to report what happened.

“We will continue to listen, to investigate thoroughly and bring offenders to justice.”

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Express has been asked to make clear that the Simon Paul de la Haye in this case is not Simon de la Haye (41) of St Helier, a project / change management consultant.