Parents speak of sexual abuse shock

The youth was placed with the South Wales family who were not told about his past offences, even though Vale of Glamorgan Council knew about them.

He went on to rape and sexually abuse the couple's children. The father said he was "surprised I didn't kill him".

Last month the youth was given an indeterminate sentence of imprisonment for public protection at Cardiff Crown Court after admitting the crimes.

The father, speaking anonymously, told ITV's News at Ten: "The children took to him (the teenager) more or less immediately." Their mother added: "He seemed like a new big brother. There was no tension at all."

But the couple's world was shattered when their young son told his father what had been going on.

With the family now trying to recover from the trauma, the father said: "What we can do for our children is try to pick up the pieces and try to make their lives as good as we can."

The couple are awaiting the outcome of an "urgent case management inquiry" launched to discover how the teenager was housed with the family as part of the council's adult placement service.

The confirmation that social services knew of the teenager's background came earlier this month as the council issued an unreserved apology to the family and revealed that disciplinary action had taken place, but did not provide further details.

Sentencing the teenager for rape and sexual assault at Cardiff Crown Court, Judge Nicholas Cooke QC described the case as a "tragedy" for the couple, whose only wish was to serve the community by helping the teenager.