Two 'brave' victims came forward years later to report childhood sexual abuse at hands of paedophile

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Two victims who were sexually assaulted as children came forward years later to report the abuse they suffered at the hands of a paedophile.

Mark Crossley, 28, of Hopwood Court, Middleton was jailed by a judge to 15 years at Minshull Street Crown Court on Wednesday (October 4) after pleading guilty to 14 counts of child sexual offences against two children in Rochdale between 2013 and 2020.

Greater Manchester Police said the victims were 'subjected to a terrifying ordeal' inside a house of someone who they trusted, and that, at the time, the victims did 'not understand the seriousness' of the abuse. READ MORE Gang dubbed the 'most organised outfit around' locked up after peddling £7m out of church 'drug factory' READ MORE The latest court news and headlines here However years later, the victims reported the abuse to the police who began investigating, later arresting and charging Crossley before he was later jailed for the offences.

Following his sentencing, Detective Constable Elizabeth Stacey of GMP Rochdale Child Sexual Exploitation team said: “I would once again like to commend the bravery and courage of the victims in this case who were subjected to a terrifying ordeal at the hands of a person who didn’t really care for them, when they should.