A man branded a “predatory paedophile” by a detective has been jailed for most of the next two decades for the sexual abuse of a child, despite his denials.
Stuart Rainey, 37, raped and sexually assaulted the school-aged girl multiple times in the North Tyneside area.
His abuse was eventually disclosed by the victim to a trusted professional at school, who immediately informed police.
Rainey was questioned by officers but strenuously denied the allegations before him.
Following a complex investigation, he was charged in connection with the abuse, in May last year.
Rainey, of Borough Road, North Shields, went on trial at Newcastle Crown Court, on May 15, this year, resulting in guilty verdicts to ten mainly child sex offences.
They included rape, five charges of sexual assault of a child under 13, plus two of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
Following his conviction, he was remanded in custody.
He was back before the same court today (Thursday July 23), where Judge Julie Clemitson imposed a 17-year prison sentence.
Rainey will also spend an extra year on extended licence upon his eventual release from custody.
He will spend the rest of his life on the Sex Offenders’ Register and was also made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), running for 25 years.
Detective Constable Karen Douglas of Northumbria Police’s Safeguarding Department led the investigation into his activities.
Speaking after his sentencing hearing, she said: “Stuart Rainey is a predatory paedophile who has consistently shown an attraction to children.
“Because of his vile offending, he has robbed this victim/survivor of her innocence and part of her childhood.”
The detective said she wanted to praise the victim in the case.
“Your bravery is the reason this man is now behind bars and will be monitored by police for the rest of his life.
“I want to urge victim-survivors of any sexual abuse to please speak out regardless of when it happened or who the perpetrator was.
“We’ll do everything we can to get you the justice you deserve, no matter the circumstances, or how much time has passed.”
Read next ... more court stories from The Northern Echo, by clicking here
Anyone who has been victim of any form of sexual abuse, whether recent or non-recent, is asked to contact police using the ‘Report’ pages or ‘Live Chat’ function on the force website, or by sending a direct message on social media.
For anyone who is unable to contact police in those ways, they should use the non-emergency 101 line.
But in an emergency the advice is to always ring 999.
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