Leroy Allen 28

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A MAN who preyed on two girls and manipulated them for sex has been jailed for eight years.

Leroy Wesley Allen admitted nine charges of sexual activity with a child on the second day of his trial at Durham Crown Court yesterday.

The court heard how the 22-year-old put pressure on the girls for sex.

Paul Cleasby, prosecuting, told the court how he plied one of the girls with alcohol before taking her virginity.

The girl asked him to stop and said she did not want to have sex with him anymore but Allen did not take the rejection well and “coerced” her into having sex with him on several more occasions.

The court heard how he would often take her mobile phone from her and started controlling her before the girl broke down and told a friend about what had been going on.

However, Allen pleaded with her to keep it a secret which she did.

That was until 2017 when she heard Allen, of Rutherford Court, Willington, had been imprisoned for grooming young girls.

Another girl also came forward to say she had been manipulated by Allen and police were shown text messages where Allen complained that the girl’s sex drive was “miniscule”.

In their victim personal statements, one of the girls said her life was a “nightmare” which led to suicidal thoughts and her being diagnosed with depression.

The second girl also said she had had to have therapy for depression and had not done as well in her exams because of the stress caused.

Allen had been jailed for a year in December 2016 for trying to incite an underage child to engage in sexual activity and trying to facilitate a child sex act.

He posed as the boss of the Durham nightclub Jimmy Allens and askied underage girls to send him pictures of themselves in their underwear or bikinis for potential hostess roles.

Dan Cordy, mitigating, said his client's time in prison had given him time to mature.

He said a psychological report revealed a “troubled young man” who was living his “fantasy life”.

Mr Cordy said the former Nissan production line operative wanted to apologise to both the girls and his family.

Recorder Euan Duff sentenced Allen, who cried throughout, to a total of eight years in prison and made him subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order until further notice.

He also said Allen would be on the Sex Offenders register for the rest of his life.