The robber knew that his time was up, but he forced his victim to undergo one last torture

A child molester forced his victim to watch explicit videos at a young age before launching a years-long campaign of abuse. Andrew Bate has been in prison for 21 years and faces a further five years on probation.

Bate, of Libson Close, Warrington, was found guilty of 16 counts of sexual abuse of the child – including rape, sexual assault, sexual activity with a child and sexual touching.

During a trial at Liverpool Crown Court, the victim described how the crimes had developed over several years and initially began with the victims being forced to watch indecent videos.

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After an initial incident, the abuse escalated. Bate raped the child multiple times and sexually abused her. The victim said they pretended to be asleep to stop him. No matter what they did, he continued.

Bates’ offending came to light in January 2023 when the victim reported him. He denied all allegations. Detective Constable Maurizio Lucchesi, who led the investigation, said: “Firstly, I would like to commend the victim for the courage he has shown throughout this investigation.”

“Bate is clearly a sex offender whose only interest is in finding his own sexual gratification. He showed no regard for the victim and refused to plead guilty to any of the charges against him despite being confronted with all the evidence against him. Instead, he forced his victim to relive the events in court, which cannot have been easy for the victim.

“Thanks to the victim’s courage and the evidence we gathered, the jury saw through his lies and he will now be held accountable for his actions. I hope that the verdict against Bate will provide some closure for the victim and allow him to move on with his life knowing that he will never be able to do the same to other children.”

Bate was ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register and follow a sexual harm prevention order for life. DC Lucchesi added: “No one should have to experience what the victim went through and if anything can come from this case then I hope it encourages other victims of sexual offences to come forward and report them to us.”