DISGUSTING MAN ABUSED GIRL... HER BRAVERY PUT HIM WHERE HE BELONGS
A paedophile has been jailed after a brave girl spoke out about the 'disgusting' abuse she suffered.Ian Wagstaff, 35, sexually assaulted the victim when she was 10 years old, however his horrific crimes came to light when she made worrying comments at school.
Concerned staff immediately alerted Lancashire Police, sparking an investigation that led to his arrest.
Wagstaff was found guilty by a jury at Burnley Crown Court of assaulting a girl under 13 by penetration and two offences of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching.
Returning to the dock to be sentenced, Wagstaff, of no fixed address, was jailed for 15 years and six months, with an extended one-year licence period.
He was also made subject of a 25-year restraining order.
In her Victim Personal Statement, the girl said: "Don't be afraid to tell someone even though it may be hard." The girl’s mum said in a Victim Personal Statement: "My daughter has really struggled, with her emotions, with her mental health, and her relationships with others has suffered." "It was very difficult for her talking to police about what had happened." "Saying out loud about what had happened was a difficult thing to do.” Det Con Cathryn Whitworth, said: "Wagstaff’s offending against a young girl was disgusting and the lengthy prison sentence he now has to serve shows the seriousness of what he did.
"Lancashire Police take all complaints of sexual offences extremely seriously and we will thoroughly investigate them to bring offenders to justice."
