Blackpool predator jailed for 'sickening' abuse of young girls

Pritchard was found guilty of 21 sexual offences after a three-week trial

A "sexual predator" who "preyed on the innocence" of the young girls he abused and refused to admit his "sickening" crimes has been jailed.

Daniel Pritchard of Blackpool was found guilty of 21 sexual offences including rape between 2015 and 2021 against five children aged between seven and 14.

Lancashire Police said he befriended their families before "the awful and disgusting chain of abuse" began.

The 44-year-old was jailed for 26 years at Preston Crown Court.

He was found guilty of two counts of rape of a child under 13, 13 counts of sexual assault, five counts of sexual activity with a child, and one count of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

The court also handed him a sexual harm prevention order for life.

'Manipulative man'

Preston Crown Court heard evidence from the five children during a three-week trial in which Pritchard continued to deny the offences.

They were uncovered after a police investigation which began in 2021 when he was reported to police.

Brett Gerrity from the Crown Prosecution Service's North West rape and serious sexual offence unit said the 44-year-old's abuse will "undoubtedly have a lasting impact on the victims".

But he hoped the sentence would "provide them with some sense of justice and allow them to move forward, knowing Pritchard has been punished for what he did to them".

Det Sgt Jamie Robinson said they had shown such "resilience and bravery" and should feel "immensely empowered by their ability to speak out and find that strength".

"Pritchard was a controlling and manipulative man who targeted these children sensing their vulnerabilities and taking full advantage of it, abusing them at every opportunity that he had," he added.