Man, 41, jailed for sex abuse on young girl (From Bury Times)

Man, 41, jailed for sex abuse on young girl

10:40am Thursday 4th February 2010

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A MAN has been jailed for two years for indecently assaulting a young girl.

James Franklin, of Gingham Park, Radcliffe, kissed the youngster and made her perform a sex act in his bed, a court heard last Thursday.

He stopped when she started to cry and “begged and pleaded” with her not to tell anyone what had happened.

Bolton Crown Court, sitting at Bury, heard the incident took place some time between 2000 and 2002, when the girl was five or six years old.

She kept it secret for several years before telling a friend about it in May last year, when Franklin was arrested.

He initially said the girl had instigated the act out of “natural curiosity”, but later pleaded guilty to indecent assault and indecency with a child.

Defending, Tina Landale said 41-year-old Franklin now realised the “enormity” of what he had done and accepted responsibility. She said: “This is a man who made a dreadful mistake many years ago, but he is not the same man.

“He was ashamed and he is ashamed.”

Miss Landale added: “It is perhaps inexplicable as to why, on that morning of madness, he behaved as he did, but to his credit he did not repeat it.”

She urged Judge Maureen Roddy to consider sending Franklin on a rehabilitation programme for sex offenders.

But Judge Roddy said she believed a custodial sentence was necessary and jailed Franklin for two years.

He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register and banned from living, working with and having unsupervised contact with children under the age of 16 for five years.

Judge Roddy said: “The notion that a little girl of five or six years old could have instigated that act is absolutely repellent.

“One can only imagine the difficulty that young lady has laboured under in concealing what you have done to her,” she added.

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