Ten men have been sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court for grooming and sexually exploiting girls in Greater Manchester.
Ashley Darbyshire, 28, was jailed for 15 years, Daniel James Flatters, 34, was jailed for seven years, Richard Haslam, 36, was jailed for 16 years, Jack Poulson, 32, was jailed for 17 years, Corey Barrett, 24, was jailed for 12 years, Brandon Harwood, 25, was jailed for 10 years, Ross Corley, 30, was jailed for two years and four months, Elliott Turner, 26, was jailed for two years, James Fitzgerald, 36, was jailed for five years and six months, and Harvie Aspden, 25, was sentenced to one year and 3 months in prison, suspended for two years.
Gill Petrovic, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said, “The way the men groomed and coerced the young girls from their community for their own sexual gratification was manipulative and appalling.
“They exploited the girls with no concern for them or the impact the abuse from a young age would have on their lives.
“Sexual abuse can cause lifelong physical and emotional trauma. As their abusers begin their sentences, I hope the women can now begin to move forward knowing that, because of their evidence and support, the men have been brought to justice.
“The CPS is dedicated to pursuing justice for victims of child sexual abuse and will continue to work with our policing partners to prosecute the perpetrators of these heinous acts – no matter how much time has passed since they committed their crimes.”
The men engaged in sexual activity with girls they knew to be under 16, using a range of manipulative behaviours to exploit the girls and get what they wanted from them, regardless of whether they consented or not.
Darbyshire, who is the lead perpetrator in this case, befriended the girls by messaging them on social media and convincing them to meet him.
Sexual contact would usually be the result. He used drink and drugs to groom them and make them compliant. Some of the girls believed they were in a relationship with him when the abuse took place.
Over time, the other men and older teenagers witnessed the abuse and, at times, satisfied their own sexual desires by abusing the same girls.
The abuse only stopped when one of the girls finally spoke out about her abusers.
Before passing sentence, the court heard from the victims via their impact statements how the abuse they suffered has affected every part of their lives.
One victim said: “There are no words that can fully capture the pain and devastation I’ve been through.” Another said: “Living with it is the ultimate sadness.”
