Man raped girl before 'buying' her silence with vapes and drugs jailed
manchestereveningnews.co.ukA Rochdale man who subjected a young girl to a string of sickening sex attacks before plying her with vapes and drugs in order to 'buy' her silence has been jailed.
Mark Thornton, 38, raped the girl in multiple locations across Rochdale over a six-year period, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
At a hearing on Monday (May 13), Thornton was sentenced to 27 years in jail over what police called a 'distressing' and 'horrible' crime. READ MORE: Teacher accused of having sex with two underage pupils breaks down after revealing baby girl was 'taken away' The court heard how Thornton, formerly of Heywood, was arrested in May 2022 and subsequently charged with six counts of rape of a female aged under 13 years.
He maintained his innocence and denied raping with the victim throughout. He will now have to sign the sex offenders' register for life, and has been given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and Restraining Order.
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk
