A 41-year-old man has been jailed after committing sexual offences against a young girl, over a 10-year period.

The man from Welwyn Garden City - who cannot be named due to a court order - was sentenced at St Albans Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday, August 29).

He was arrested by Hertfordshire police in November 2022, after the National Crime Agency passed along information regarding indecent images being uploaded to an online platform.

This online platform was linked to the individual's home address.

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According to police, during his first interview the man claimed that the images had been uploaded by mistake.

However, officers found evidence on his phone of him sexually assaulting a young girl.

The child was later identified and provided a statement, confirming that she had been his victim for many years.

The man was charged with 15 offences and remanded to prison.

Welwyn Hatfield Times: St Albans Crown Court.St Albans Crown Court. (Image: Will Durrant)

These offences included three counts of rape of a child, four of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, six of sexual assault, one of causing a child to watch a sexual act and one of possession of indecent images.

The man pleaded guilty to all offences at St Albans Crown Court, on March 28.

Having returned for sentencing yesterday, he was jailed for 13 years and one month.

Judge Sandeep Kainth passed an extended sentence of a further year, making a total sentence of 14 years one month.

                                                                                            

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The 41-year-old must also register as a sex offender for life and abide by the terms of a sexual harm prevention order.

Detective Sergeant Jim Miller said: "We are committed to identifying and proactively targeting those in Hertfordshire who pose a threat to children.

"The dedication and commitment shown by my officers in this investigation has resulted in another child being protected and a perpetrator being handed a significant sentence.

“The net is really tightening on those who commit these sickening crimes.

"We work with many different agencies to weed out those who prey on children, and we will continue to bring them to justice.”

Information can be reported online at www.herts.police.uk/ro/report or by calling the police's non-emergency number 101.

Anonymous information can be given by contacting Crimestopppers on 0800 555 111 or via crimestoppers-uk.org.