Paedophile jailed after victim speaks

A self-confessed paedophile who sexually abused a schoolgirl has been jailed for three years and four months.

Thomas Kelly, of Summer Street, Shaw, had carried out repeated sex acts on the child, and had her perform indecent acts on him. He had also shown her pornographic videos during his sordid campaign some years ago.

When the victim finally “blurted out” what had happened to her in May, the defendant went missing and was later found in a car trying to kill himself.

He told the person who found him: “You should have left me to die.”

Kelly went on to confess he had “done everything you can think of, but not full sex” with the girl, Burnley Crown Court heard.

Kelly, who was sentenced on his 60th birthday, struck while he was living in Whitworth.

Before he attached a pipe to his exhaust and sat in his vehicle with the engine running at a reservoir, he had texted his partner telling her: “I’m a paedophile and I can’t live with myself. I am going to end it.”

The court was told the victim told police she suffered flashbacks from her ordeal and felt she had been robbed of her innocence and childhood.

Kelly admitted four charges of indecent assault and one of indecency with a child. He had no previous convictions.

He was ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register indefinitely, was banned from working with children and was given a sexual offences prevention order, prohibiting any unsupervised contact with females under 18.

Katherine Pierpoint, prosecuting, said Kelly would tell the victim she was a good girl and stroke her hair.

Miss Pierpoint said the victim kept it all to herself for years until she told her husband after a drink in May.

The hearing was told when the defendant was questioned by police, he said he knew his actions had been wrong, but claimed the girl had not complained.

Paul Lewis, defending, said Kelly’s remorse was “heartfelt and genuine,” and he had made admissions to the police.