Record details
A TEENAGE girl who was molested by a 31-year-old later found her schoolwork suffering as she struggled to sleep.
Alexander Caple told the 14-year-old she should not tell anyone about her ordeal or they would put him in prison, Preston Crown Court was told.
But within hours the youngster had informed a schoolfriend and told her mother what had happened.
Police were alerted and Caple, of Helston Close, Burnley, was arrested and confessed to some sexual activity with her.
Caple later admitted to two offences of sexual activity with a child. An indecent exposure offence, which he denied, was withdrawn after the prosecution offered no evidence.
Judge Phillip Parry jailed him for four-and-a-half years and imposed a 12-year sexual harm prevention order.
The court heard Caple groped the girl over her clothing before carrying out a more serious sexual attack.
In a victim impact statement, she said she had been left struggling to sleep and her mother had reported she could be heard crying through the night.
She was studying for her GCSE exams and had been sent from from school after falling asleep in her lessons. Her grades had also suffered.
