A man in his 50s from Leicestershire has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for a five-year campaign of sexual abuse against his step-granddaughter. The abuse took place at his home in Hinckley, and the man was convicted at Leicester Crown Court following a trial.
The defendant, who cannot be named to protect the victim's identity, was found guilty of multiple charges including 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. The court heard that the abuse began when the victim was living with him.
In a victim impact statement read in court, the girl expressed anger that the man never admitted his crimes. She said, 'I felt if I was no longer here, it could no longer happen to me. 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 'took ruthless advantage of the trust that was placed in you by that girl and by her mother and family.' He described the abuse as a 'nightmare' and told the victim that her abuser 'will never ever be a risk to you in the future.'
The man must serve at least two-thirds of his custodial sentence and will be on the sex offenders register for life. Leicestershire Police began their investigation after the abuse was reported in February 2021.
