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A man who raped an 11-year-old girl on Portland has today been jailed for seven years.
James Connell Loveman, 23, was sentenced today at Bournemouth Crown Court.
He attacked the girl in the Old Windmill near Easton on a night in August last year.
Loveman, of Portland, was convicted of charges of rape and assault by penetration today following a trial in September.
He had previously admitted an offence of sexual assault of a female aged under 13.
The victim, who was 11 at the time of the incident, was with her 14-year-old friend and they had spent the evening walking around Portland.
At around 1.30am on Saturday 31 August they were in the area of Easton Square when they met a man who was sitting on a bicycle.
They walked with him to an old windmill to the south of Park Road, where they chatted for a time before the victims friend went outside. Once he was alone with the victim, Loveman sexually assaulted her and then raped her before riding off on his bike in the direction of Weston.
Following an investigation led by detectives from the Forces Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT), Lovemans DNA was found to be a match of a profile obtained from the victims clothing and he was arrested on Saturday 7 September 2019.
The victim said that the incident had terrified her and she came forward because she did not want Loveman to do the same thing to someone else and that she would not wish what happened to her on anybody.
She added that she had been hurt by comments made, including online, which implied that she or her family were in some way at fault for what happened or that she had lied.
Detective Inspector Wayne Seymour, of MCIT, said: This was a horrific sexual attack of a young victim and I would like to praise the girl involved for the courage she displayed in coming forward and supporting the investigation and trial process.
I want to thank her and all those involved in the investigation for their assistance in helping to bring James Loveman to justice for his horrific crimes.
I hope this case demonstrates that we will support victims who report sexual offences and do all we can to identify the culprits and hold them accountable for their actions.
Julia Woodward, CPS Wessex Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Senior Crown Prosecutor said: The victim in this case was incredibly brave throughout the investigation and prosecution. She was courageous in contacting the police immediately to report what had happened to her, which meant that Loveman could be identified and arrested quickly.
CPS Wessex worked closely with Dorset Polices Major Crime Investigation Team, using forensic evidence to help secure a guilty verdict.
We hope that todays sentence has delivered justice and provides some comfort to the victim."
If you have been the victim of a rape or sexual assault and want to report it directly to police, contact Dorset Police via 101 and ask to speak to a specially trained officer. In an emergency always dial 999.
Not everyone will want to report a matter directly to police. The Shores is the sexual assault referral centre for Dorset and its expert staff are independent of the police.