A PAEDOPHILE from Winsford has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment after being found guilty of a string of historic sexual offences against a child.

Shaun Wilson, 33, formerly of Grampian Way, was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on April 13.

Wilson was convicted of four counts of gross indecency, five counts of indecent assault and one count of rape.

The offences, which occurred between 2001 and 2012, mainly occurred when the victim was in her early teens.

Wilson was brought to justice after the victim decided to come forward and report his crime’s to police.

Det Const Ryan Crawford, from Cheshire Police, said: “The victim bravely came forward to report these crimes and was supported throughout the investigation and subsequent trial.

“Hopefully this conviction will give her and her family some closure.”

Det Const Crawford has hopes the courage of the victim will encourage others who have suffered sexual abuse, whether recent or historic, to come forward.

He said: “Anyone who is a victim of abuse, even if it happened some years ago, should feel confident in speaking to police so that they can get the support they need from specialist agencies.

“We are victim led in such investigations and if it is the right thing for the victim we will support them to bring the offender to justice through the court system.

“The custodial sentence in this case sends out a clear message that such allegations are taken extremely seriously by the criminal justice system whether they are historic or recent offences and should hopefully serve as a deterrent to would-be offenders.”

Anyone who has been the victim of sexual abuse is urged to contact the police on 101.