Predatory offender jailed for raping teenager

Aaron Harvey, 35, admitted the offences at an earlier hearing

A man who raped a teenage girl and subjected her to numerous sex assaults has been jailed for 18 years.

Aaron Harvey, 35, from Rugeley, Staffordshire, was described by West Midlands Police as a "predatory individual who groomed his victim" from Birmingham over a two-year period.

Harvey was jailed during a hearing at Wolverhampton Crown Court after previously pleading guilty to one charge of rape and eight other sexual assaults.

At the earlier hearing at the court he also admitted one charge of possessing extreme pornography.

At his sentencing on Friday, Harvey was told his sentences would run concurrently and he was also given a restraining order and a sexual harm prevention order.

"Harvey’s offending came to light when the girl bravely spoke out telling officers the abuse first started when she was 14," a police spokesperson said.

He was arrested in August 2022 and officers who seized his phone discovered extreme pornographic videos and searches, the force said.

“Harvey was a predatory individual who groomed his victim, sexually assaulted her on numerous occasions and raped her," said Det Con Kayleigh Driscoll, from the complex child abuse investigation team.

"We are pleased with the sentence, which sends out a clear message that people who target vulnerable young people for their own sexual gratification will be taken to court, convicted and will face many years behind bars."