DOES THIS MAN LOOK WEIRD TO YOU?

A Maddie McCann-obsessed preacher who hailed himself as the Messiah and repeatedly raped a young woman on seven consecutive nights was jailed for 12 years.

Paul Denton, 46, changed his name to 'Lord Denton' by deed poll and claimed he was sent by God to save the people of Daventry, Northants.

But his victim told how he ordered her to submit to him as he quoted verses from scripture.

Crazed Denton even went on a pilgrimage to the scene of Maddie's disappearance in Praia da Luz - two month's after she vanished in May 2007.

He made 15 entries on his travel blog speculating about her whereabouts and described his personal quest to solve the mystery, interspersed with biblical references.

Denton said his victim's allegations as 'lies from the depths of hell' but was convicted after a three week trial at Inner London Crown Court.

As he was lead to the cells after his conviction he yelled: 'Hallelujah, Jesus Christ is Lord, read Matthew 24.'

The rapist, who is on hunger strike and suicide watch, refused to come to court to be sentenced.

His case was adjourned several times while arrangements were made for him to be jailed by videolink to Wandsworth Prison.

Passing sentence Judge Mervyn Roberts said: 'All of these offences were committed against a backdrop of abuse.

'You felt the need to dominate and control her and allowed no dissent from your dogmatic views on religion and lifestyle.

'You left her with unwarranted feelings of shame, guilt and worthlessness.

'You decided to punished her in a particularly painful and degrading way.

'You made her submit to intercourse on seven nights and she begged you not to.'

A probation report described him as a significant risk to women, but a psychiatrist said he was only a threat to vulnerable females he may want to control.

As a result the judge decided he was not dangerous and spared him an indeterminate sentence.

Denton will however have to sign as a sex offender for life.

He did not react to his fate, and was denied a request to speak to the judge.

Denton first met his victim in 1996 at a hippie 'Rainbow Gathering' in France, when she was 19 and Denton, also known as Robin, was 33.

'He told me he had lots of experience with prostitutes,' she said.

'When he was 15, his father bought him a prostitute for a present.

'He showed me a picture of his ex-girlfriend from Sweden.

'She was naked in the photograph and he would carry it around with him in his wallet.'

The woman said he also believed the fairer sex should be submissive to their husbands and to the Lord Jesus, 'because the scripture says'.

She added: 'He did change his name to Lord Paul Robin Denton.'

The 32-year-old, now living in Croydon, said: 'He said I had to submit to him and to the Lord, he was quoting scriptures from the Bible.

'It got very violent.

'He was screaming in my face I'm a disobedient, evil woman and I have to submit to him.'

During one incident he headbutted her in the face and in another he pulled her down the stairs by her hair and throttled her.

The woman said: 'I thought he was going to kill me,'

'It was a hell on earth.'

After another attack Denton went to Russia for a month to customise an airship.

She said: 'He was developing another project, flying a Zeppelin.

'There was some kind of society he got involved with.

'He wanted to spread the Gospel with a Zeppelin - he wanted to write 'Jesus' on it so everyone could see it from the earth.'

When he returned he threatened to assault the woman after a row.

'He said: 'Men are hunters. He said he has to punish me.'

He then threatened to carry out a serious sexual assault on the woman.

'I said: 'Can't we just have normal sex? If you want it, I won't resist you.'

'He said: 'No', because he wants revenge.

'He said I must take off my clothes.

'I was crying.

'I was begging him not to do this.

'He covered my mouth and said: 'Everything is going to be all right.'

She continued: 'I felt like he was treating me like a prostitute.

The woman said Denton raped her as if he was a wild animal.

'He was telling me that I'm a whore, that I deserve it. He said it has to be seven nights.'

'It was day after day, seven nights in a row.'

Denton was reported to police last February.

During a search of his home police found his diary in which he wrote: 'I just headbutted her, causing her to have a big black eye.

'I was accusing her of being disobedient and disrespectful.'

When quizzed the entry Denton said: 'As a greeting, we would sometimes headbutt each other, not actually headbutt each other, but pretend.'

Denton had allowed local children to use a bus outside his house as a playground. But he became deeply unpopular with residents and the vehicle was set alight.

In court he claimed he was being persecuted for his religious beliefs.

'When I first arrived in the house I made a carving of 'Jesus is Lord'.

'The following day [the locals] ripped it off the wall.

'I was being persecuted for my extreme Christian beliefs.'

Before Denton knew the woman had complained to police about him raping her, he wrote on his blog about it being a form of punishment.

Asked if he had chastised her in that way, he replied: 'That's a lie from the depths of hell.'

When he was questioned about changing his name to Lord Denton by deed poll, he began to recite the Lord's Prayer and suggested the title was a dedication to God.

He added: 'For me there's only one Lord - the king of kings.'

Denton is also believed to have lived in Hood Road, Daventry, Northamptonshire; and Holcot, Northamptonshire.

He is thought to have regularly travelled around Africa and Eastern Europe as a Christian missionary.

Denton, now of Edison House, Barnhill Road, Wembley, was found guilty of four specimen counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, seven charges of rape and one of witness intimidation.

He was cleared of one count of indecent assault of a child under 13.

ends