A New Zealand man who tried to rape a 10-year-old girl after travelling to England to try to save his marriage has been jailed for 15 and a half years.

John Grant Orme, 47, shouted "This is a kangaroo court" as he was sentenced in Preston Crown Court this week.

He will be deported to New Zealand after serving his sentence for offences including attempted rape, false imprisonment, common assault and criminal damage, the Lancashire Evening Post reported.

He had been given seven days' leave to remain in the UK by immigration officials when he arrived at Manchester airport in June last year.

But in less than a day the 47-year-old, who had travelled to the UK to save his marriage, had committed a string of offences.

He turned up unannounced at his estranged wife's Ribbleton home in Lancashire and grabbed her by the throat.

When she fled he went on a drunken £5000 ($11,000) rampage of destruction in her home, wrecking most of her possessions.

The following morning the 10-year-old girl, who came to visit the address, was let in by Orme and subjected to a sickening ordeal.

He forced her to strip and made her tidy up all the broken glass and damaged possessions naked while he watched her.

He then let her get dressed, but when she attempted to leave he locked the door, took her upstairs and tried to rape her.

The terrified youngster was later allowed to leave the address, but did not tell anybody about the attack until 24 hours later when Orme had been arrested for criminal damage and assault on his former wife.

He was convicted of common assault, criminal damage, false imprisonment and the attempted rape of the girl following an eight-day trial .
Orme refused to plead to any offence, claiming he was "not answerable to anybody in court". During the trial he admitted "assimilating his own justice" against his estranged wife.

- NZPA