A PEMBROKE Dock man jailed for a 30-year spree of child sex crimes had his bid to clear his name rejected by senior judges on Thursday.

Stephen Bladen, 56, received a 21 year jail term at Swansea Crown Court last December after he was convicted of a catalogue of sexual offences.

He was sentenced in relation to 31 charges - including eight counts of possessing indecent photos of children - Mr Justice Foskett told London's Appeal Court.

The decorator, of Sycamore Gardens, Pembroke Dock, was found guilty of eight rapes, 10 counts of indecent assault, and other sex acts.

Bladen attacked five victims in all - two of whom he raped.

His crimes were committed between 1985 and last year, with one of his victims aged just five when he sexually assaulted her.

He terrorised one of his rape victims by threatening to kill her favourite bunny rabbit if she resisted.

All his victims were left acutely traumatised by their ordeals.

One of them - now an adult - told of the "continuing nightmare" caused by his attacks, with her life now dogged by sleeping pills and depression.

At trial Bladen persistently denied his accusers' claims, insisting their accounts were simply "false".

"He said he never behaved inappropriately towards children," explained Mr Justice Foskett.

Bladen's case reached the Appeal Court as he unsuccessfully challenged the jury's verdicts.

He maintained that the verdicts were "against the weight of the evidence", but Mr Justice Foskett said this was simply unarguable.

"The jury plainly disbelieved his evidence and accepted the evidence of his victims," he concluded.

"We consider this was a case in which none of the convictions can properly be challenged.

"The application is refused."