Justice has finally caught up with a sick pervert who groomed a young girl to fulfil his depraved sexual desires more than three decades ago.

Henry Brown repeatedly sexually abused the youngster when he was in his mid-20s and she was aged around ten-years-old.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the abuse cast a long shadow over the victim’s life as she moved from childhood into adulthood and came to realise how she had suffered at his hands.

A judge heard how the youngster had been wracked with guilt over the years and even classed the defendant as her ‘boyfriend’ and couldn’t understand when he went off with another person.

The Northern Echo: Henry Brown. Picture: DURHAM CONSTABULARYHenry Brown. Picture: DURHAM CONSTABULARY

Vincent Ward, prosecuting, said: “There has been a great deal of grooming gone on. The victim considers herself to have been a girlfriend of the defendant and that is something that she still dwells on.”

He told the court how the abuse took place at a number of locations in the region.

In a victim impact statement, the woman said she had suffered from depression since she was about ten-years of age and has contemplated taking her own life since the abuse took place.

She wrote: “As a child I have done things sexually that no child should have gone through and I believe that is what triggered my depression.

“I still suffer from depression today and really bad anxiety – I rarely leave the house as I have social anxiety disorder. Over the years I have been suicidal and now receive counselling.”

The court heard how Brown had previous convictions for grooming children for sexual purposes.

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Brown, who was living in assisted accommodation in Tow Law, was found guilty of a catalogue of abuse on the youngster, including charges of indecent assault on girl under 14, gross indecency with girl under 14 and under 16.

Jessica Slaughter, in mitigation, said: “We are now looking at a very different man. A man who has the risk managed, who has kept out of trouble and made some progress in the community through voluntary work.

“He knows he is facing a custodial sentence.”

Judge Howard Crowson sentenced Brown to a total of eight years in custody for all offences.

He said: “At the time of the offending she was aged ten and you were in your mid to late 20s. With your encouragement she came to view you as her boyfriend – she was too young to understand the true nature of what you did to her.

“Children grow up and the effect of becoming an adult and learning more led her to know that what happened was wrong, sexual and led to a lifetime of depression and anxiety.”

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