OXFORD Mail reporter Ben Wilkinson has been named Daily Reporter of the Year at the Regional Press Awards.

Ben received the award after covering the Bullfinch trial last year, where seven men were jailed for a minimum of 95 years for the abuse and exploitation of girls in Oxford.

His reporting of the sentencing was described by the judges as a "journalistic tour-de-force with immense power and sensitivity".

The Oxford Mail's deputy picture editor Richard Cave was commended for his photography, while the Oxford Mail's Bullfinch supplement was also highly commended.