A DEPRAVED Southampton youth worker serving a life sentence for sexually abusing children has been jailed for four more years for another historical offence.

Rex Case, 72, was sentenced for indecently assaulting a 16-year-old girl.

He is already serving 21 years for 18 offences against five females committed over almost 30 years when he was a foster carer.

Following his jailing in February 2012 a serious case review and then a fresh police inquiry was launched, bringing this latest case to light.

Winchester Crown Court heard that Case was working at a Hampshire youth housing project and assaulted a 16-year-old girl some time between February 1, 1996, and December 31, 1998.

Case, who appeared via video link from Parkhurst Isle of Wight prison, admitted the allegation. The project was for young people between 16 and 24 leaving foster care or with problems.

Kerry Maylin, prosecuting, said the police tracked down former residents and asked open-ended questions about concerns regarding their time at the project.

The attack happened when she was staying here and one evening was talking to Case. He gave her cider and later when she had gone to bed used a master key to get into her room and assault her.

In a victim impact statement, Ms Maylin said the victim had been seriously affected and had difficulty forming relationships. “She failed to cope with what happened and it resulted in her losing her home and children but she is rebuilding her life.”

Sarah Jones, mitigating, said this was a one-off offence. She said Case had himself been abused while a boy. “He was in a position to mete out to others the misery he had experienced Case’s wife, who has stood by him, is very ill and unlikely to see him released from jail, said Ms Jones.

Sentencing, Judge Robert Hill said Case had abused a position of trust to target a vulnerable youngster.

He told Case that the four-year sentence starts now so it will almost certainly be served by the time Case is released.

Case, formerly of Holly Hill, Bassett, was unusually allowed to remain seated as he was sentenced, largely because had he stood up the video camera would only have filmed his midriff.

When he was first jailed in 2012, the 72-year-old was described as “devious, manipulative, cunning, defensive, aggressive and obsessive”

Judge Peter Henry went on to tell Case that he had followed “a past of systematic abuse.”

He went on to describe how the “most surprising thing” was that the sexual abuse she suffered “for reasons that still escape me” never led to the prosecution of Case in the late 1990s.

Police later admitted that they had missed earlier opportunities to prosecute Case.