A 26 year old man from Lower Broughton has been jailed for 12 years for the grooming and rape of a 12-year-old girl
The court heard how Shamus Harte over a period of time, after engaging with the youngster via social media platforms, Harte obtained indecent images of her.
He would also then regularly meet her in Broughton Park, where Harte would capture some of their encounters on his mobile phone.
Harte was arrested in March 2022 on suspicion of meeting a female child under 16 following sexual grooming and subsequently arrested in October 2022 for child abduction and possession of a bladed article.
After reviewing his mobile devices, which contained child sexual abuse images and videos, Harte was charged with further offences of rape of a child under 13 years old and remanded in custody.
Welcoming in the sentence, DS Hannah Rudd and PS Camron Pierre, who were with the Complex Safeguarding Hub at the time of the investigation, said: “First of all, we would like to thank the victim and survivor in this case, and her family, who have shown dignity, bravery and strength in seeing this through to conviction and sentencing.
“We know that no amount of time is going to erase what Harte subjected her to, but we hope that today’s result goes some way in allowing them to process what has happened and to begin to heal.
“This investigation was a long and complex one, in which the City of Manchester Complex Safeguarding Hub (CSH) worked tirelessly to gather evidence against Harte and see him subsequently locked up.
“This result showcases the multi-agency work between the CSH, social workers and local council, and we are happy that Harte is off the streets and no longer a threat to young girls.
