A REDDITCH man who preyed on vulnerable youngsters has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after being found guilty of sexual offences against children.

Raymon Coburn, age 70, from Greystone Close in Redditch, was found guilty by a jury at Worcester Crown Court on Friday, January 23.

Coburn was charged with 17 historical child sexual offences in relation to three victims, the jury convicted him of all these offences and they were unanimous verdicts.

The charges related to dates between 1974 and 1994, with most of the offending taking place place in Redditch.

The court heard he groomed his vulnerable victims and made them perform various sex acts upon him.

Coburn has a previous conviction in relation to taking indecent images of children.

The three victims all contacted police separately and were not known to one another.

DS Lindsey Coleman from West Mercia Police said: "The length of the sentence passed reflects the severity of Coburn's crimes against children over a number of decades. He preyed upon the vulnerability of his victims and it is testament to their courage which has resulted in an extremely dangerous sex offender finally being brought to justice

“I would like to praise the bravery of the three victims in this case. What they have been through is unimaginable and hopefully this will provide some form of closure that will help them to rebuild their lives.

“I would also like to thank the witnesses whose testimony was key to securing this conviction and ensuring Coburn has been sent to prison for a long time.”