Warning: This article contains details some people may find disturbing.
A Harrogate paedophile has been jailed for 14 years for the systematic sexual abuse of a young girl, which a judge described as “unforgivable”.
Neil Michael Stubbs, 27, was convicted of 13 separate offences following a four-day trial. He appeared for sentence today when York Crown Court heard harrowing testimonies from the victim.
During the trial in April, the jury heard that Stubbs, of Kingsley Park Road, groomed and sexually abused the youngster over a prolonged period.
They found him guilty of all 13 charges including one count of attempted rape of a child under 13, two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, sexual assault, possessing indecent images and several counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
Prosecutor Paul Newcombe said that some of the offences, including sexual assault and causing a child to engage in sexual activity, were “specimen counts”, meaning they happened on multiple occasions.
He said that Stubbs would perform lewd acts on himself in front of the girl and got her to perform sexual acts on him on at least six occasions. Stubbs also “pestered” her to send him naked photos of herself.
On one occasion, he tried to rape the youngster, but she kicked him away. On another, he told her he had a “fantasy of having sex with a virgin” and warned her not to tell anybody about the abuse, and that she had to “take it to her grave”.
‘My mental health has dramatically declined’
Following Stubbs’ arrest, police seized his mobile phone on which they found indecent images of children including some naked photos of the victim, who is from Harrogate but cannot be named for legal reasons. Some of the other images were rated Category A – the worst kind of such material.
Mr Newcombe said it showed that Stubbs had an “unhealthy obsession” with children.
In a statement read out in court, the victim said that Stubbs had “stripped” her of her childhood and she was now living with the dreadful consequences of his wicked actions.
She added:
“Since the sexual abuse my mental health has dramatically declined.
“I’ve suffered from suicidal thoughts and have on two occasions attempted suicide.”
She had suffered from “severe social anxiety” and struggled to leave her house. She found it hard to make friends and trust people, particularly men.
She had sought the help of counsellors and multiple support agencies such as the NSPCC but the abuse still had a “profound” effect on her, she added.
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She said that Stubbs had robbed her of her childhood innocence by putting her through “what I can only describe as “mental torture”.
Her mother, who has also received counselling since the offences came to light, said:
“The impact this whole incident has had on my family as a whole is monumental.
“The worst thing in the world is knowing that (my daughter) will always suffer for the rest of her life.”
Defence barrister Robert Mochrie said that according to a doctor’s report, Stubbs was on the autistic spectrum, but the same report added that this wouldn’t have reduced his culpability.
He said that Stubbs, who had been brought up in care, was a “social loner” who had previously worked in a shop and had never offended before.
Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, described the campaign of abuse as a “catalogue of offending” and told Stubbs:
“While you may have perhaps some traits of autism, this does not excuse your behaviour. You know right from wrong.
“You repeatedly abused (the victim). You described to her the fantasy of having sex with a…virgin. That was your fantasy and it very nearly came about.”
Mr Morris said that both the girl and her mother had been utterly “traumatised” and blasted Stubbs for putting the victim through the ordeal of a trial when the evidence against him was “absolutely overwhelming”.
Jailing Stubbs for 14 years, the judge told him:
“This is a sentence that you richly deserve. This girl attempted suicide twice and has had her life turned upside down by the abuse she suffered at your hands…and it is unforgivable.”
Stubbs will serve half of that sentence behind bars before being released on parole, but the judge ordered that he would serve an extended one-year period on prison licence because he was an “offender of particular concern”.
Stubbs was also placed on the sex-offenders’ register for life and given a sexual-harm prevention order which will last for 20 years and is designed to limit his contact with children.
Harrogate man found guilty of sexual abuse of young girlWarning: this article contains details some readers may find disturbing
A Harrogate paedophile is facing a long prison sentence for the systematic sexual abuse of a young girl.
Neil Michael Stubbs, 26, was convicted of 13 separate offences this week following a four-day trial at York Crown Court.
The jury heard that Stubbs, of Kingsley Park Road, Starbeck, groomed and sexually abused the youngster over a prolonged period.
They found him guilty of all 13 charges, including one count of attempted rape of a child under 13 years of age, two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, sexual assault, possessing indecent images and several counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
Prosecutor Paul Newcombe said that some of the offences — including engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, sexual assault and causing a child to engage in sexual activity — were “specimen counts”, meaning they happened on multiple occasions.
Read more:
He said that Stubbs would perform lewd acts on himself in front of the girl and got her to perform sexual acts on him on at least six occasions.
Stubbs also “pestered” her to send him naked photos of herself, added Mr Newcombe.
Following his arrest, police seized Stubbs’s phone on which they found indecent images of children, including some naked photos of the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
Some of the other images were rated Category A – the worst kind of such material.
Mr Newcombe said it showed that Stubbs had an “unhealthy obsession” with children.
The jury returned their verdicts yesterday (Thursday, April 28). Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, adjourned sentence to August 15.