27 years for beast who raped girl and plied her with drugs
A MAN who subjected a young girl to a string of sickening sex attacks before plying her with vapes and drugs in order to ‘buy’ her silence has been jailed.
Mark Thornton, 38, raped the girl in multiple locations across Rochdale over a six-year period, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
At a hearing on yesterday, Thornton was sentenced to 27 years in jail over what police called a ‘distressing’ and ‘horrible’ crime.
The court heard how Thornton, formerly of Heywood, was arrested in May 2022 and subsequently charged with six counts of rape of a female aged under 13 years. He maintained his innocence and denied raping with the victim throughout.
He will now have to sign the sex offenders register for life, and has been given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and Restraining Order.
Detective Constable Martin Adams from Rochdale’s Child Protection Investigation Unit said: “Firstly I’d like to pay homage to the victim and her family for having the bravery to support our investigation by coming forward, which would have undoubtedly been a difficult thing for anyone to do.
“I hope this result gives them confidence in the authorities and provides them with a sense of justice whilst coming to terms with this horrible crime. Thornton showed no remorse for his actions, sparing little thought for the distressing impact that this could have on his young victim.
“We would encourage anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault, or knows someone who has, to get in touch with GMP. We will always listen to you and investigate all allegations.”