Leicestershire man jailed for sexually abusing step-granddaughter

Following a trial at Leicester Crown Court, the man was found guilty of 14 crimes

A man who carried out a five-year "campaign" of sexual abuse against his step-granddaughter has been jailed for 18 years.

He was convicted following a trial at Leicester Crown Court of a series of rapes and assaults against the girl at his home in Hinckley.

The defendant, who is in his 50s, cannot be named to preserve the anonymity of his victim.

At the sentencing on Friday a judge said the victim showed "huge courage".

'Ruthless' abuse

Leicestershire Police said they began an investigation after the abuse was reported in February 2021.

At the trial the man was unanimously found guilty of four counts of rape, four counts of assault by penetration, three counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of sexual assault of a child and one count of taking an indecent image.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, the girl - who was present during the hearing - said she was "angry" that the man never admitted his crimes, and spoke of the lasting impact of the abuse.

"I felt if I was no longer here, it could no longer happen to me," her statement said.

"I was scared to tell people and what it would mean when people knew the truth."

Sentencing, Judge Robert Brown said the man had betrayed his family and preyed on the girl, who at one point was living with him.

"You took ruthless advantage of the trust that was placed in you by that girl and by her mother and family," he said.

"You groomed her, you seduced her, you raped her.

"For a period of five years, you engaged in persistent acts of rape and other forms of abuse against her.

"You showed no respect for her at all."

The man must serve at least two-thirds of his custodial sentence, and will also have to sign the sex offenders register for life.

Speaking to the victim, Judge Brown said her abuser "will never ever be a risk to you in the future".

"You have been through a nightmare, and nobody who sat through that trial could have any other interpretation of it," he said.