Gary Mulligan 53

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A teenage girl fought off a man who tried to rape her before he later claimed she 'came onto him'.

Gary Mulligan took advantage of and sexually assaulted his vulnerable victim when she was drunk.

Liverpool Crown Court heard he came as close to raping her as possible, without actually doing so.

But the cowardly predator later suggested it was him who had resisted the advances of the child.

Mulligan, 51, of Riddell Way, Juniper Grove, St Helens, targeted the girl one night in 2005.

She confided in her best friend at the time but didn't feel able to make a complaint to the police until November 2018.

Peter Killen, prosecuting, said Mulligan denied any wrongdoing when interviewed by officers and said the girl came onto him, but he resisted.

The dad and businessman maintained this claim during a five-day trial, when his traumatised victim had to go through the ordeal of giving evidence.

Mulligan was unanimously found guilty by a jury of attempted rape, causing a child to look at an image of sexual activity, two counts of sexual assault and two counts of assault by penetration.

Judge Robert Trevor-Jones today told Mulligan: "You took advantage of her drinking. You didn't ply her with alcohol, but she was drunk and you took advantage when she had dozed off."

He said the girl had been watching a horror film with Mulligan, but after she fell asleep he put on a pornographic film, and when she woke she was "astonished".

The judge said: "You made a series of sexual advances towards her. She was protesting and distressed."

The court heard Mulligan tried to rape the "vulnerable" girl, then sexually assaulted her, before the "scared" child fled.

Judge Trevor-Jones said in a victim personal statement the now adult woman outlined how she had "a lack of self-worth" and has ongoing therapy because of the "enduring impact" of the abuse.

He said the attempted rape caused "severe psychological harm" and occurred during a sustained attack.

Judge Trevor-Jones said: "It was an attempt, but the complete offence was only prevented by her resistance."

David Polglase, defending, highlighted his client's previous good character and said he hadn't offended before or since this incident.

He said Mulligan had a logistics firm involving the transport of medical supplies and had worked his way through the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Polglase said Mulligan was the sole carer for his 80-year-old mum and had spoken to his son about fulfilling this role in his absence.

He said Mulligan had never been to prison before and asked the judge to take into account serving a jail sentence during the pandemic.

The judge accepted Mulligan was of previous good character and that this incident could be seen as something of an "aberration".

He said he took this into account in his favour, along with the impact of serving a prison sentence in the current climate.

Judge Trevor-Jones jailed Mulligan for 11 and a half years and told him to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Mulligan will have to spend two thirds of the sentence - seven years and eight months - behind bars, before he is released on licence.