Men who held girl captive are jailed

THREE men from Coventry who held a schoolgirl captive and forced her to have sex with 20 men have been jailed for a total of 18 years.

Jake Cairns, Brandon Sharples and Jack McInally were arrested and found guilty in November of facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child.

The 14-year-old victim was plied with drugs and held at an address in the city where she was made to have sex with around 20 people during her five-day ordeal.

She was rescued by West Midlands Police officers when they found her trying to climb out of a first-floor bathroom window, in only her underwear, in a bid to escape her abusers. Cairns, 21, of Cheveral Avenue in Radford, who was additionally found guilty of arranging child sexual exploitation and taking and distributing indecent images of a child, was sentenced to eight years in prison at Birmingham Crown Court today. McInally, 21, and Sharples, 20, were both jailed for five years. In addition, all three were handed ten-year sexual harm prevention orders and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.

An NSPCC spokesperson said: “These predators callously exploited a vulnerable teenage girl and forced her to endure a hellish ordeal. These sentences show that victims of child sexual abuse can get justice and highlight the importance of reporting concerns that a child or young person is being sexually exploited. It is vital we are all alert to the warning signs of child sexual exploitation.

Anyone concerned about a child can contact the 24/7 NSPCC helpline in confidence and for free on 0808 800 5000. Childline is there 24/7 for children and young people wanting to speak to a trained counsellor free and confidentially on 0800 1111 or www. childline.org.uk”