Woman's turmoil after predator tried to rape her as a child
dailyrecord.co.ukA woman has said that she feels like 'her life is crumbling' after she endured four years of sexual abuse at the hands of a predator.
Michael Harvey, 47, attempted to rape the young girl while she was asleep when she was aged just eight, a court heard. In the years that followed the ordeal, he subjected her to numerous sexual assaults which left her feeling 'sick to the stomach', she said.
Harvey, of Preston, has been sentenced to ten years behind bars with a year's extended licence after pleading guilty to the abuse at Preston Crown Court.Lancs Live reports that judge Richard Gioserano, sentencing, said that the woman waited a number of 'years' before she found the courage to report what had happened to her as a child."You thought you could get away with it because children often don't tell and feel unable to tell for many years - often overcome with fear and shame and confusion", he said.When the woman did speak out against her abuser, Harvey lied and only pleaded guilty as he was due to stand trial at Preston Crown Court.He admitted attempted rape of a child under 13 and six counts of sexual assault.
which represented a pattern of abuse.Judge Gioserano said: "This is no isolated case of sexual abuse. You subjected her to sexual abuse on many occasions over a long period of time between the ages of eight and 12 years old."You corrupted and distorted her childhood and she is now still paying the price for the sexual gratification you obtained from it."In a victim impact statement, the woman said: "I find it hard to cope with anything around me and I just feel like I am on my own all the time, with no-one to talk to.
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