Sussex sex offender has sentence increased by nine years
Three judges increased Ian Elliott's sentence to 27 years in prison
A serial sex offender from Pulborough has had his prison sentence increased by the Court of Appeal.
Ian Elliott was jailed for 18 years and ordered to serve a further five on licence in February after admitting 43 offences, including 37 sex offences against four men, one of whom was raped 11 times.
The Solicitor General, a senior government legal officer, referred the 71-year-old's sentence to the Court of Appeal, claiming it was "unduly lenient".
In a hearing on Thursday, three judges increased Elliott's sentence to 27 years in prison, while maintaining the five-year licence period.
"persistence and nature"
Giving their judgment, Lord Justice Edis said that the "persistence and nature" of Elliott's "campaign of rape" meant a "significant increase in the sentence imposed by the judge is required".
He said: "Each of the victims was vulnerable in one way or another and he took advantage of that in a way which was clearly entirely premeditated."
He continued: "He was able to use his position in society both to commit these offences and thereafter to evade detection for them for a considerable period of time."
Elliott, who had no previous convictions, pleaded guilty in November last year to 11 counts of rape, one attempted rape, eight sexual assaults, 17 counts of voyeurism, four drug charges, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
The Attorney General's Office (AGO) told the court in written submissions that he "provided alcohol or drugs" to his victims before committing the crimes.
He was given the 18-year jail term for the rape offences at Lewes Crown Court and handed shorter concurrent terms for the other crimes, but the AGO said that the offending as a whole meant the sentence was "substantially too short" and was "unduly lenient" as a result.
The court was told that following his arrest, Elliott, of Pulborough in Sussex, asked a friend to remove a metal tin from his garage that contained media storage devices, which had footage related to two of his victims.
Lord Justice Edis, sitting with Mr Justice Murray and Judge Dennis Watson KC, said that the attempt by Elliott to destroy the footage "was intended to avoid detention and conviction for a significant number of very serious offences", and contributed to the sentence increase.
Sarah Elliott KC, appearing for the offender, said that while the sentence "might be regarded as lenient", it was "not unduly lenient on proper analysis of the criminality involved".
Elliott, who appeared via a video link from HMP Parkhurst, showed no emotion as his sentence was increased.