Abused Blackpool teen's mum tells of relief as Paedophile is jailed for five years

Christopher Sutcliffe, 27, of Ashburton Road, North Shore, was jailed at Preston Crown last week after admitting six counts of sexual activity with a child.

He will serve 64 months behind bars and has been made subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Sutcliffe will also be forced to sign on to the Sex Offender’s Register.

Today the mother of Sutcliffe’s victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, spoke of the nightmare her son had endured.

She said: “It has been four years of absolute hell for us.

“I’m glad it is finally over, that there is justice.

“But this isn’t over for us, my son will find it difficult to get over what has happened.

“The sentence is longer than we thought it might have been, my son is happy he will go to prison for so long.

“He has been on bail for a lot of the time, it is good to know he is finally where he belongs.”

The boy is understood to have been a teenager when the offences took place at a property in Blackpool.

Sutcliffe, who was arrested in July 2013, initially denied the charged put changed his plea to guilty in November last year.

It’s a decision the victim’s mother was grateful for.

She said: “It meant my son didn’t have to give evidence.

“He has stood up in court and admitted to what he did, he can never deny it, he can never say it wasn’t true.

“I just hope this will give other victims of crimes like this the courage to come forward.”

Those views were echoed by police involved in the case.

Det Con David Kerigan, of Lancashire Police, said: “Christopher Sutcliffe is a dangerous sexual predator who committed a number of indecent acts against a boy.

“Sutcliffe took advantage of him and repeatedly abused him over a period of time.

“It is clear he is a risk to people and we welcome his imprisonment.

“We will do everything in our power to proactively target people who seek to commit sexual offences against children and ensure that they receive a prison sentence.

“I would urge anyone who has been a victim of a sexual offence to come forward and report it to us, safe in the knowledge that they will be treated sensitively and professionally at all times.”

Call police on 101.