A man who sexually assaulted a young girl in East Grinstead over several years is now starting a nine-year prison sentence following a Sussex Police investigation.

James Doyle, 36, of Bear Lane, Hare Hatch, Reading, was sentenced at Hove Crown Court on Thursday 3 March, having previously been convicted of two counts of sexual activity with the girl, then aged under 13, at an address in East Grinstead between five and ten years ago.

He will be a registered sex offender for life and was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to run for ten years on his release, severely restricting his access to girls under 16 and to digital communications devices.

Detective Constable Rees Hopcraft of the West Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit said: “Doyle gained the confidence of his victim over a period time and then chose situations in which she was alone and vulnerable to systematically exploit her for his own gratification.

“As soon as this was reported to us we took action and Doyle is no longer in a position to act in this predatory way against other children.”

For information on how to report concerns about sexual exploitation of children and the support that is available, see the Sussex Police website.

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