Man jailed for sexual assaulting young girl

A Devon man has been jailed for eight-and-a-half years for sexually assaulting a young girl and possessing more than 1,000 images of child sex offences.

Wade Robinson, 31, from the Tiverton area, previously admitted three charges relating to the sexual assault of a child and five charges of possessing online images.

He will also serve three-and-a-half years on licence when released, be subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and be listed on the Sex Offenders' Register for life.

He refused to leave his cell for sentencing at Exeter Crown Court, leading Judge James Adkin to say he did not "have the courage to face up to the fact he has committed these incidents of utter depravity".

Devon and Cornwall Police said officers had seized Robinson's mobile phone when they raided an address in Exeter in 2022.

The force said detectives had found more than a thousand images of child sexual abuse on the phone, including category A material, which is of the most serious.

Following Robinson's arrest, a girl told the police he had abused her and officers found several images of her on his phone.

Robinson's guilty plea meant the girl did not have to go through the court process, police said.

Det Con Alex Powe said: "Viewing child abuse material and engaging in criminal activity such as this is inexcusable, and we will work tirelessly to pursue and apprehend such offenders.

"I am incredibly proud of the team and extremely proud of the courage of the victim in speaking out."

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