A TEENAGER has been jailed for 11 years after a court heard that he was still in denial about raping a child.

Amaan Ghafoor was branded arrogant for thinking his victim would not reveal what had happened or would be believed.

The 18-year-old was brought to justice after the child told of his “disgusting” and “horrible” actions when he was 17.

He was found unanimously guilty of one charge of rape at the end of a trial at Teesside Crown Court last month.

Judge Simon Bourne-Arton, QC, said the victim had revealed so much detail, the account could not have been made up.

He said Ghafoor failed to recognise the impact on “a bubbly, lovely, normal child” who was too young to know it was a sexual act.

Ghafoor, who has no previous convictions, was said by his barrister, Anne Richardson, to be "immature and insular".

She added that the normal, loving and caring people who knew him “could not believe that he committed such an offence”.

The college student, from the Stockton area, was also ordered to sign on the sex offenders's register indefinitely.

During the trial, he said he could not think why the allegation would be made, and he had done nothing which could have been misconstrued.

Ms Richardson told Judge Bourne-Arton, QC: "He was not an adult when the offence was committed.

"Your Lordship will have formed a view of his maturity, and his somewhat insular nature."