Dennis Johnson aged 57 of Manchester Road, Westhoughton has been jailed for 22 years and six months imprisonment after being found guilty of 21 separate offences including rape, sexual assault, actual bodily harm and witness intimidation.
He was also sentenced to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.
The court heard how in September 2018 GMP received a report from social services that a girl under the age of thirteen had disclosed that Johnson had been sexually touching her.
Shortly after this report, it was revealed that Johnson had abused two other girls between 1991 and 2004. This abuse started when both girls were under the age of ten and continued until they were in their mid-teens.Both girls were repeatedly sexually assaulted by Johnson. He also raped one of the girls on multiple occasions.
The court also heard Johnson had sexually abused a fourth child – a male – in the 1990s. On one occasion this included Johnson forcing the boy to masturbate him.
In September 2018 Johnson was arrested and subsequently charged.
Detective Constable, Karen Dewhurst of GMP’s Wigan district, said: “The sexual exploitation of children is abhorrent and Johnson’s despicable abuse spanned years. I want to commend the bravery of all four of Johnson’s victims, their courage and support throughout this investigation and has been crucial in helping to secure a significant conviction today.
“Although today’s sentence will never reverse the abuse Johnson inflicted, I hope it does help in providing a sense of closure for his victims knowing that he will be behind bars for over 22 years.
