Cheshire man jailed for 15 years for sexually abusing very young girl

A 31-year-old man from Cheshire who sexually abused a girl on several occasions when she was a very small child has been jailed for 15 years.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) authorised six charges against Jonathan McLean, including four counts of sexual assault, one count of assault by penetration and one of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

McLean denied all the charges against him until the very end, claiming that those who helped the CPS to build the case were just trying to destroy his reputation.

On 21 November 2019 at Chester Crown Court, a jury found him guilty of all the charges and on Wednesday – 18 December – he was jailed for 15 years and must serve at least half of that sentence before he can be considered for release.

The Crown Prosecution Service also applied for a sexual harm prevention order which was granted by the court.

The order states he must not contact or communicate with children or stay or live with them without the approval of the Children’s Services department of the relevant local authority.

McClean’s offending came to light when the victim told another adult about what had happened to her.

The woman she told then reported it to the authorities and on 19 October 2017 McLean was questioned by Cheshire Police.

Damion Lloyd from the Crown Prosecution Service’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) Unit said: “Jonathan McLean abused a very young child for his own sexual gratification, with no thought for the confusion and distress his actions were causing.

“The abuse continued for at least two years and only came to light when she finally spoke about what had happened to another adult.

“As often happens in these situations, the child being abused feels powerless to stop the abuse and might not understand at all what is happening to them or why. McLean stole this child’s innocence and the effects of that  might not come to light for some years.

“This has been a complex and painstaking case for the Crown Prosecution Service to build. The defendant denied everything until the end. Child sexual abuse is an evil that society will not tolerate and the CPS is at the forefront of the work to stop it.”