A Lincolnshire man has been jailed for 12 years and six months for a string of sexual offences against a child, including rape.

Michael Ramsay, 49, from the Gainsborough area, was sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday 6 November after being found guilty of 11 offences committed between 2021 and 2022.

Ramsay was convicted of raping a girl under the age of 13. He was also found guilty of 10 further offences, with the individual sentences to run concurrently.

The sentences

The further convictions were two counts of sexually assaulting a girl under 13 by penetration, for which he received six years for each offence, and two counts of sexually assaulting a girl under 13 by touch, for which he received one year for each offence.

He was also convicted of five counts of inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity, for which he received five years for each offence, and of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, for which he received two years.

Ramsay was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely. He was also given a 20-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order with strict conditions and barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.

Police praise the investigation

Detective Constable Lucy Morris, who led the investigation, said: "This is a significant prison sentence for a very serious case, and I am pleased that Ramsay has been brought before the courts."

She thanked everyone who worked on the investigation and said police would always support victims through the process, however difficult or challenging cases like this one can be.

Lincolnshire Police has information on reporting rape, sexual assault or other sexual offences, and on finding support.