A mother has revealed the devastating consequences for her once "sweet and happy" son after he was abused by a serial paedophile with convictions dating back more than 20 years.

Canterbury Crown Court heard how former Ramsgate resident Damian Cousins groomed the boy with cigarettes, sweets and McDonald's food before abusing him.

In a victim impact statement read out by a judge, the youngster’s mother detailed the mental and physical suffering her child had endured as a result of Cousins' depravity.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was said to have frequent flashbacks and nightmares, anger and self-harming issues, and a potential PTSD diagnosis.

The court heard his 49-year-old attacker has committed 31 previous sexual offences against children since 2002 and was subject to both a life licence and probation supervision when the abuse occurred.

Cousins even confessed to a cellmate – while in prison on remand in 2019 for an offence of child abduction of the same victim – how he had molested him and destroyed any evidence on his phone by throwing it into a river.

But it was not revealed by the boy himself until six months after Cousins had been sentenced and jailed for more than five years in September 2020 for that abduction offence, telling police he now "felt safe".

In her moving statement, the youngster's mother said the effects of her son's ordeal were still ongoing and had impacted them daily.

"He cannot sleep at night because he has flashbacks and nightmares. It affects his schooling as he goes to bed in the day," she explained.

"He doesn't trust people and finds it difficult working with male teachers. He is full of anger and doesn't know how to release it. I think he is too scared of hurting someone and so holds it in.

"He was a happy boy. He never did anything wrong. He was a sweet, innocent, little boy, very trusting and had no problems talking to adults or his friends."

She added that her son had difficulty dealing with his emotions, needed counselling and was "likely" to have PTSD.

The court heard Cousins befriended the boy, gave a false name of Aaron, and then groomed him with cigarettes, sweets and McDonald's food before abusing him in an abandoned building in Ramsgate.

The convicted pervert, who has himself recently told doctors that he is still a danger to children, was originally prosecuted only for child abduction and breaches of a sexual harm prevention order and sex offender notification requirements, as the victim had not told police about the sexual assaults he had also endured.

But in March 2021, the youngster finally disclosed his ordeal, although he had to write down his answers to a number of police questions as he found it "very difficult " to talk about, said prosecutor Sophie Shotton.

She told the court: "He said he was scared and worried but now felt good and safe knowing the defendant was in prison. He said he had disclosed the sexual abuse because it was in his head and he just wanted to get it out."

Cousins was serving his five-year and three-month jail term in Swaleside Prison on the Isle of Sheppey when police went to see him but he refused to be interviewed.

However, he later admitted four offences of sexual assault and two of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and appeared for sentencing on Friday, October 20, via a video link with HMP Grendon in Buckinghamshire.

His barrister Ben Hargreaves told the court the facility was "world-renowned for dealing with very serious paedophiles".

Cousins' sexual offending dates back to March 2002, when he molested a boy he had met in Margate. He was subsequently charged with 28 offences and jailed for 18 months.

Then, in February 2008, he was handed an indeterminate sentence for public protection with a minimum tariff of 30 months for crimes against another two children.

He ended up staying behind bars for 10 years – but just seven months after his release in May 2018 on life licence he had reoffended.

"He is impulsive – he accepts he is still a danger and a risk to young people...”

Ms Shotton said Cousins "took steps" to ensure his mother did not see him with his victim, and in turn told the boy to lie to his own parents.

The court was told that during a psychological assessment ahead of sentencing he had made "grave admissions".

"He is impulsive – he accepts he is still a danger and a risk to young people," said Mr Hargreaves.

"All in all this is a man who has very strong paedophile tendencies and is a paedophile."

In deciding the appropriate sentence, Judge Simon Taylor KC said the court had to bear in mind Cousins had already been "partly" punished in 2020 for the harm caused to the same victim and therefore had to avoid "double counting".

But he added it was important to acknowledge that the sexual abuse offences were of "a very different nature and involved much greater harm".

Judge Taylor concluded there was no mitigation bar the guilty pleas and, with Cousins posing a high risk of harm, it was his "duty" to impose a 12-year extended sentence to protect the public.

Cousins was therefore jailed for four years – of which he will have to serve at least two-thirds – with a further eight years added to any licence period. He will also continue to be subject to the life licence attached to his sentence in 2008.