A FORMER instructor at a Basingstoke youth organisation has been jailed for sex crimes involving two teenage girls who were members of the group.

Timothy Cummins, of Huntsmoor Road, Tadley, was a 'Sergeant Major' in the Adventure Ranger Corp (ARC) when he committed the offences.

As well as jailing Cummins, Judge Michael Brodrick ordered that the 28-year-old should be placed on the sex offenders' register for life and be disqualified from working with children.

The judge imposed a six-year extended sentence, with an immediate term of two-and-a-half years in prison.

Once Cummins (pictured) has completed the prison term, he will remain on licence for a further three-and-a-half years.

During this time, he will be supervised and will go on a course for sex offenders.

If he commits another offence while on licence, he could face a further sentence.

Cummins appeared for sentence at Winchester Crown Court after admitting two serious sexual offences and two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse relating to a girl under the age of 16.

He also asked for a further offence of indecent assault, involving another girl under the age of 16, to be taken into consideration.

The judge told Cummins: "The fact is, in a position of trust and responsibility, you embarked on a sexual relationship with a girl approximately half your age."

He added it was a worrying feature of the case that Cummins had claimed the first victim had instigated the sexual relationship - an allegation that the judge rejected.

Referring to Cummins' offending, the judge added: "The fact this didn't happen once, but happened with a different girl as well, is a further worrying feature."

Jailing Cummins, he said: "In my opinion, it would be wholly inappropriate to deal with this matter by anything other than an immediate custodial sentence."

Peter Henry, defending, said Cummins had an inappropriate relationship with the first victim, but he maintained that his client had genuinely loved her and it had been a consensual relationship.

As was previously reported in The Gazette, Cummins joined the ARC as a 15-year-old junior member and progressed to the post of adult instructor within the organisation, which offers adventure pursuits, military training and community work opportunities to youngsters aged eight to 18.

Basingstoke police launched an investigation after being contacted by a member of the public who had concerns about an inappropriate relationship between Cummins and one of the teenage victims.

The resulting inquiry led to Cummins - who resigned from the ARC two years ago - being charged.

Following Cummins' previous court appearance, when he admitted the various offences, Ian Campbell - who co-founded the ARC in 1993 - told The Gazette that everyone in the group had been "extremely upset" by the scandal involving Cummins.

Mr Campbell said Cummins, along with all the adults involved in the ARC, underwent police background checks and had been cleared to work as an instructor.

The ARC holds meetings in Tadley, Kingsclere, and Winklebury and Popley in Basingstoke and currently has around 80 participants.