AN ex-footballer has been put behind bars after a jury found him guilty of rape.

Terry Nicholas, of Jubilee Road in Buckley, appeared at Mold Crown Court for sentence on Thursday.

The 36-year-old had been convicted after trial on a single count of rape, the offence having happened in the Flintshire area in 2021.

Siôn ap Mihangel, prosecuting, read from an impact statement the victim had written subsequent to the offence.

In it, she described the "severe impact" on her mental health and her relationships with others.

She said she felt "constant uneasiness" around men and had dreaded going to sleep due to night terrors and nightmares.

The court heard how Judge Simon Mills granted the defendant bail between the conclusion of the trial and Thursday's sentencing hearing in order to put his affairs in order before going into prison, including provisions for his adult son.

But when he was interviewed by the probation service for the production of a pre-sentence report, he made a number of concerning comments.

One of those was that because the Judge had granted him bail, he isn't considered dangerous - which Judge Mills said was ridiculous.

Another was a view the Judge branded a "misogynistic trope" in that he claimed he "didn't need to commit sexual offences."

At the sentencing hearing today (Thursday, November 30), Judge Mills said the defendant's comments in the face of his "right and proper" decision to grant bail had been "inexplicable."

Martyn Walsh, defending, conceded his client's comments to the probation officer had been "very ill-informed" and that he may have "misread the situation."

The Leader: Terry Nicholas (NWP)Terry Nicholas (NWP) (Image: North Wales Police)He continued: "He had a reasonable career in football and played at a reasonably good level.

"He is someone who has been violent in the past and has experienced a custodial environment, but he has no offences of a sexual nature on his record."

He reasoned that a determinate sentence - as opposed to an extended one - would be sufficient.

"There is a certain amount of 'front-facing' to him which I am sure will not be the same person when he finds himself in prison," he added.

"There's a public face to Mr Nicholas which is not everything he is."

Judge Mills told Nicholas his offending would have been "a terrifying ordeal" for his victim, adding: "You raped her and treated her with contempt.

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"And in effect, that's what you've done ever since.

"One of the things you need to reflect on is that a number of aspects to your presentation are truly arrogant.

"I am sure your predatory conduct towards her will have long-lasting harm.

"Your attitude toward the author of the pre-sentence report has done you no favours at all and you've shown not a shred of remorse, let alone recognition, of what you did.

"You provided misogynistic views and overall your presentation is verging on 'could not care less' about what you're facing.

"You badly need to undergo a sex offender course to adjust the appalling attitudes you've displayed in this case.

The Leader:

"I urge you to take a long, hard look at yourself - the way you act, the way you treat women and the way you think."

Nicholas was jailed for eight-and-a-half years.

He must serve two thirds of the sentence in custody before being released on licence - and will be subject to notification provisions as a sex offender for life.