A Wisbech man who raped an underage girl three times has been jailed for 14 years.

John Burnley, 54, had been grooming and touching the girl for a period of twelve months before the rapes took place.

It only took two hours for the jury to find Burnley, from Alexander Road, Wisbech, guilty of three charges of raping a girl under 13 and four charges of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching following a seven day re-trial at Cambridge Crown Court in October.

He also received a sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order instructing him not to contact the victim and witness in the case.

The girl’s mother grew suspicious after overhearing her daughter on the phone to Burnley telling him she had ‘deleted the texts so mum doesn’t read them’. She asked her daughter what was going on and she admitted the abuse to her.

Detective Constable Dianne Booth, who investigated, said: “I want to commend the victim who had to give her evidence twice, due to the hung jury at the first trial, and was extremely brave in doing so.

“I hope the sentence will provide the victim and her family with some closure and allow them to move on with the rest of their lives.”