A drug addict who plied a schoolgirl with heroin before having sex with her was jailed for seven years.
Paul Griffiths, 43, groomed his 15-year-old victim after taking heroin with her parents at a drug den.
Liverpool Crown Court heard how he invited the girl back to his home in Wilburn Street, Walton, where he gave her the Class A drug and they had sex.
The victim later suggested that Griffiths told her he had filmed them but no recording was recovered by police.
Kenneth Grant, prosecuting, said the defendant may have told her this as a threat to try and ensure she did not tell anyone.
Griffiths was found guilty of sexual activity with a child under the age of 16 after a trial.
The court heard how the paedophile, – who continues to deny any wrongdoing – has no relevant previous convictions, but carried out a robbery in 1995.
Rachel Oakdene, defending, said the victim was only a few months away from turning 16.
She said Griffths was a dad whose family remained supportive of him and said he hoped to be able to see his son when he is released from prison.
Miss Oakdene said: “He does intend to use his time in custody constructively so he can be reunited with his son and perhaps lead a more positive lifestyle.”
Judge Denis Watson, QC, said Griffiths’ victim had “a wretched upbringing” and spent many years living apart from her parents.
Liverpool Crown and Magistrates’ Court
He said that she watched her parents and Griffiths doing drugs in front of her and was violently abused by her dad.
Judge Watson said: “She had some exposure already to the world of heroin and the misery that it can cause.
“But it was through you going there to score drugs yourself that you befriended her.
“You knew perfectly well of her age and her background and so you would have seen how vulnerable she was.”
The judge said he could not be sure whether Griffiths did video his victim, or simply told her that he had “to keep her quiet about it”.
Judge Watson said: “She was keen perhaps to be more of an adult than she was and it seems to me was someone who found you attractive and you took advantage of that.
“She was 15 and you were 42. She was particularly vulnerable, there was a substantial age difference and you had effectively supplied her with heroin.
“She was ostensibly consenting to what happened, but her age and vulnerability mean that in reality that is little if any mitigation.”
The judge also gave Griffths a nine-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, preventing him from having unsupervised contact with girls under the age of 16.
Griffiths showed no emotion in the dock as the judge also told him to sign on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.
Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/