A 58-year-old man has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison for a series of sexual assaults on young girls that took place at his farm in Wigan during the 1990s and early 2000s.
Clifford Mark Hale, formerly of Lowton, Wigan, and later of The Highway in Pontypool, Gwent, was found guilty at Bolton Crown Court on Friday of five counts of indecent activity with a child and one count of indecent assault of a girl under 14.
The abuse came to light when two of the victims, now adults, went to a police station in March 2016 to report the historic offences. A third victim later came forward during the investigation.
The first victim was around 10 years old in the late 1990s when Hale forced her to touch him inappropriately while she played a computer game. He later entered her bedroom and exposed himself. The second victim, also aged 10 in 1999, was carried to bed by Hale and woke to find him forcing her hand onto him. The third victim was around seven in the early 2000s when Hale exposed himself to her from a doorway.
Detective Constable Nicola Wood of Greater Manchester Police praised the victims' bravery, stating: 'They have shown a great deal of courage in coming forward to report these offences... Hale abused these girls when they were very young children, during times when they were visiting his home address and should have felt safe in his care.'
