Description
A vile former pub landlord who travelled to Manchester from London to carry out a string of sexual offences on young girls has been put behind bars.
Predatory Carl Marland was jailed for 21 years after Manchester Crown Court heard how he groomed and then sexually assaulted four girls.
He was jailed for a long list of more than 20 crimes including rape of a child under 13 and sexual activity with children.
Following his sentencing on Tuesday (24 May) Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said Marland had stolen the childhoods of his victims and paid tribute to their bravery.
What has Carl Marland been jailed for?
Marland, 58, was found guilty at trial of the following offences:
- Causing a child to watch a sexual act
- Five cases of sexual assault of a child under 13
- Three counts of rape of a child under 13
- Assault of a child by penetration
- Two counts of voyeurism
- Two cases of making indecent images of a child
- Three counts of sexual activity with a child
- Engaging with sexual communication with a child
- Two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity
- Three counts of supplying class B drugs
- Supplying class C drug.
What happened in court?
Manchester Crown Court heard how Marland would travel to Manchester from London, where he ran a pub, most weeks from June 2020 to December 2020 to visit the girls and their families to carry out his attacks.
He would groom the girls, who were aged between eight and 16, giving them gifts of clothes and money as well as drugs and alcohol.
Marland set up a bank account for one of the girls and transferred around 3,000 to her, and would drive the girls around in his car, where much of the abuse took place.
He also secretly filmed one of the girls as she undressed.
Police became aware of Marland when one of the girls mothers found inappropriate messages from him on her phone in November 2020.
Detectives from GMP Rochdales child sexual exploitation team worked closely with officers from the Metropolitan Police to co-ordinate Marlands arrest on 27 January 2021.