A child rapist who groomed a young girl for sex will be out on the streets sooner than expected after his jail term was cut on appeal.

Stephen Paul Hunt, 40, was sentenced to 18 years in prison at Swindon Crown Court in September last year after he admitted sexual activity with a child and was convicted of rape and indecent assault.

But lawyers for Hunt, of Oaklands, Chippenham, came to the Court of Appeal yesterday claiming he was wrongly convicted because the judge misdirected the jury.

Despite backing the fairness of his trial, three senior judges ruled Hunt's sentence was too long - and cut it to 16 years.

Lord Justice Pill told the court Hunt molested two young girls in the 1990s, but both victims were too frightened to talk about the attacks until they were older.

The judge said Hunt "prepared" a girl in her early teens for sex by indecently assaulting her and telling her he "loved her too much".

He also sexually touched another girl, who was aged under 10, the court heard.

Hunt denied assaulting the younger girl, and claimed sex with the older girl was "consensual", but a jury rejected his claims and found him guilty of rape.

His barrister, Marcus Davey, argued yesterday that the trial was prejudiced because the judge did not notify the jury that, before he admitted sexual activity with the older victim, Hunt had a clean criminal record.

Lord Justice Pill, sitting with Mr Justice Spencer and Judge Peter Thornton QC, rejected that argument, finding Hunt was not entitled to claim "previous good character".

However, judges ruled Hunt's overall 18-year jail term "manifestly excessive", and cut it to 16 years.

Lord Justice Pill said: "We have come to the conclusion that, extremely serious though these offences were and though they had a serious effect on the victims and their family, this was not a case where a sentence at the top of the range was required."

Their ruling means Hunt will be eligible to automatic release from prison after eight years inside, and will serve the rest of his sentence on licence in the community.