A former serviceman from Abertridwr, who was extradited from Australia, has been convicted of sexual assault and rape.
In what is thought to be one of the oldest criminal cases in the UK, Reginald Davies, 78, was convicted of 13 offences, including rape, over a 24-year period in South Wales.
Kingston Crown Court was told that Davies had committed the offences between 1949 and 1973.
Davies was extradited from his Western Australia home in September last year after allegations against him were first reported in 2008.
He claimed his four victims, who cannot be named for legal reason, were lying and in collusion with each other.
He was found guilty of two charges of child rape, two charges of attempted rape, eight counts of indecent assault and one count of indecency with a child. He was cleared of one charge of child rape and one charge of attempted rape.
Hilary Ryan, senior Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyer, said: “This is one of the oldest cases of historic sexual abuse and rape ever prosecuted by the CPS, dating back to 1949.
“I hope this conviction serves as an important message to people who have been the victim of crimes such as these that they should come forward regardless of when the offence occurred.
“The CPS will work closely with partners to ensure that robust criminal cases are put before the courts.
“Davies’ prolonged campaign of sexual abuse and rape against these women, who were just children at the time, carried on for more than 20 years. The emotional impact on his victims is impossible to quantify.
“The CPS worked closely with the police in Britain and authorities in Australia to extradite Davies to face trial and today a jury has ensured that he will face justice for his crimes.
“I would like to pay tribute to the victims in this case and their strength in coming forward after so many years. This has clearly been a difficult time for them, but I hope this successful conviction provides them with some comfort.”
Davies is due to be sentenced on Friday.