Burnley man jailed after school alerted police to sexual assault of 10-year-old girl
A Burnley man has been jailed for more than 15 years after sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl.
Ian Wagstaff, 35, committed the offences against the child, who later spoke about what had happened while at school, prompting staff to contact Lancashire Police.
Wagstaff was arrested and later stood trial at Burnley Crown Court in December last year.
A jury found him guilty of assaulting a girl under 13 by penetration and two counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching.
Returning to court for sentencing on Friday, February 27, Wagstaff, of no fixed address, was jailed for 15 years and six months.
He will also be subject to a one-year extended licence period after his release.
The court also imposed a 25-year restraining order.
In a Victim Personal Statement, the girl urged others not to stay silent.
She said: “Don’t be afraid to tell someone even though it may be hard.”
Her mother said the abuse had had a lasting impact on her daughter’s life.
She said: “My daughter has really struggled, with her emotions, with her mental health, and her relationships with others has suffered.
“It was very difficult for her talking to police about what had happened. Saying out loud about what had happened was a difficult thing to do.”
She added: “I think this is something she will always be scared of.
“What happened to her will affect her all her life and she will always live with the pain of what this man did to her.”
Detective Constable Cathryn Whitworth, of Lancashire Police, said: “Wagstaff’s offending against a young girl was disgusting and the lengthy prison sentence he now has to serve shows the seriousness of what he did.
“Lancashire Police take all complaints of sexual offences extremely seriously and we will thoroughly investigate them to bring offenders to justice.”