Man who had sex with schoolgirl spared jail in 'exceptional' case
manchestereveningnews.co.ukhereMinshull Street Crown Court heard that Thornton had spent 18 months in prison on remand almost a decade earlier, awaiting sentence for his offences against the other two girls.He later received a three year community order.Now a judge said he felt able to spare Thornton jail as the case represented an 'exceptional set of circumstances'.The judge also heard Thornton has since turned his life around and rehabilitated himself.Prosecutors told how the 13-year-old girl had accepted a friend request on Facebook from Thornton.He told her she was 'beautiful'.It would have been 'abundantly clear' to Thornton that she was a child, prosecutor Justin Hayhoe said.She told him she was 13, and she had photos of herself on her Facebook profile.Thornton.
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