A PAEDOPHILE who groomed a 14-year-old girl online before committing a catalogue of sexual abuse against her has been jailed.
Last month, 25-year-old Bradley O'Hanlon from Leeds, Yorkshire pleaded guilty to 10 counts of sexual activity with a child aged 14 and indecent images offences.
At Leeds Crown Court on Friday, he was sentenced to four years and 10 months.
"O'Hanlon was responsible for cynically grooming this vulnerable young girl before committing an appalling and sustained catalogue of abuse against her, which has had a devastating traumatic effect on her life," said Detective Inspector Mark Tester.
Sexually explicit videos
The offences came to light in November 2021 when the victim disclosed her relationship with an older male after some messages had been found on her phone.
O'Hanlon was arrested but made no reply to all questions in his police interviews.
As the investigation progressed, the contents of his phone were downloaded and several sexually explicit videos and photos were discovered, which were in relation to another young female.
Officers from Leeds District Safeguarding Unit liaised with the Crown Prosecution Service to secure the multiple charges against him.
The evidence showed that O'Hanlon had clearly groomed the victim in a deliberately gradual way, starting with attention and friendship before eventually progressing to multiple sexual acts.
Pressured victim
DI Tester revealed how O'Hanlon tried to pressurise his victim into keeping quiet about his offences.
"Her Victim Impact Statement, which was read out in court, detailed how the sexual abuse inflicted on her by O'Hanlon, accompanied by his determined efforts to pressure the victim to keep their relationship secret, had an immense impact not only on her but on her whole family," he said.
"We hope the significant sentence that he has now received will provide some reassurance to the victim and her family as well as to the wider community.
"Our specialist safeguarding officers will continue to do everything they can to secure convictions against predatory offenders like this to get justice for victims and protect others from harm."
O'Hanlon was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register and issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order following his conviction last month.
