A 60-year-old man who subjected a young girl to months of sexual abuse has been jailed for 17 years.

Peter Nicholson, of School Avenue, Salford Priors repeatedly sexually assaulted the girl over a six-month period starting in 2019.

The offences came to light when the girl told her friends, who then told her mother.

The victim's mother contacted Safeline, a Warwickshire based charity that works to prevent sexual violence and abuse and support those affected to cope and recover.

A specially trained officer then spent time with the victim, building trust until she was ready to disclose what had happened.

When police seized Nicholson's electronic devices, they found 1,330 extreme pornographic images.

At Coventry Crown Court, Nicholson was found guilty of six counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching, two counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by penetration and two counts of attempted rape.

He had previously pleaded guilty to possession of extreme pornographic images.

Nicholson was then sentenced at Coventry Crown Court.

He was added to the Sex Offenders' Register indefinitely, is subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and is subject to a lifelong restraining order.

Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Emma Mackay from Warwickshire Police said: "Nicholson is clearly a dangerous and predatory offender; the length of this sentence reflects the severity and depravity of his offending.

"I'd like to commend the victim and her family in supporting this investigation and ensuring Nicholson has been held to account for his appalling crimes.

"The victim said she didn't come forward earlier because she was worried nobody would believe her; well, the jury believed her and saw through Nicholson's lies.

"Hopefully, this will give other victims of sexual offences the confidence that there are people out there who will listen, offer support and investigate."

(Header image by Elliot Brown via Flickr)