Harrogate man Ricky Clench has been sentenced to 15 years in jail for child sex offences, including the rape of a child under 13.
Clench was sentenced following a series of offences starting in August 2017 until September 2018 when one of his victims came forward to the police.
At the time Clench was living in Northallerton.
On Tuesday he appeared at Teesside Crown Court and was found guilty of raping a child under 13, assaulting a child under 13 by penetration and of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
Clench denied all offences throughout the police investigation and court hearings.
As well as the 15-year sentence he was issued with an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and was placed on the sex offenders register for life.
Detective Constable Jason Roper, of Northallerton CID, said:
“The significant sentence handed to Ricky Clench reflects the gravity of the offences he has committed. He is a predatory and manipulative paedophile who has shown no consideration for his victim throughout the investigation and the court proceedings.
“Thankfully he is now behind bars for a very long time and has been made subject to two lifetime protection orders, preventing him from inflicting harm on any other innocent victims.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the victim for their bravery and courage in coming forward to report such a harrowing experience, and also to their family for the support they have shown throughout the investigation.”
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