Child molester jailed after ‘shocking abuse’

A paedophile who raped and sexually abused a girl “to satisfy his own perverse sexual desires” has been jailed. The girl was “shockingly abused” by John Ryan and police praised her “courage to speak out”.

Ryan, now 75, began abusing the girl when she was just six years old. The defendant, originally from Tamworth, denied the charges of rape, sexual abuse and inducing/inciting a girl under the age of 13 to engage in sexual conduct.

However, following a trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison at Preston Crown Court. Det Insp Andrew Crook, of Lancashire Police’s child abuse investigation team, said he hoped the verdict would “give others who may have suffered similar abuse the courage to come forward”.

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After the hearing, he said: “First of all, I want to commend Ryan’s victim for having the courage to speak out about what she went through. This cannot have been easy and I deeply admire her bravery.

“John Ryan subjected this young girl to shocking abuse over a number of years in order to satisfy his own depraved sexual desires and I welcome these significant sentences which reflect the seriousness of his offending.

“I hope that the court’s rulings will give others who may have suffered similar abuse the courage to come forward and report the matter to the police, safe in the knowledge that we will investigate professionally and sensitively, regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred.”