A paedophile and rapist who was jailed for historic sex crimes has been put behind bars for a second time for committing similar offences against a teenage girl in Darwen some 20 years ago.

James Lorenzo King was jailed for 13 years plus a year on licence in 2019 for rape, gross indecency and indecent assault on a girl under 16 between 1999 and 2000.

Some three years later though, in 2003, after that period of offending ended, King met his next victim in a chat room, Preston Crown Court heard.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was just 14 at the time with King being around 27.

Prosecuting, Paul Brookwell told the court that King was aware of how old the girl was as she told him when they initially began chatting.

He said: “These convictions reflect a sexual relationship that the defendant had with the victim which began in 2003 when she was 14 and lasted until 2004 when she turned 16.

“She told the defendant she was 14 and he said he had been with someone her age before.

“On the first occasion they met she was 14 and he travelled from where he lived in Yorkshire to meet her in the Darwen area.

“When they first met he kissed her and then the meetings became more regular and the kissing would continue.

“They would kiss in his car and he would ask her to sit on his knee.

“On one occasion he picked her up from school and she was still in her school uniform.

“They drove to Scarborough and had sex in an apartment owned by his father.

“She said following this she would see the defendant once a week, then twice a week, then 24/7.

“He took her shopping to Leeds once and bought her a ring which she assumed was an engagement ring, and they also took amphetamine together.”

Mr Brookwell said King's victim only reported the incidents to the police in 2021 after she had seen an article in the paper about him and his previous offending.

At the time, King was two years into his 13-year sentence and was interviewed by police at HMP Moorland Closed in Doncaster.

He denied knowing the victim, but then admitted they had met, but continued to deny picking her up in her school uniform, denied any sexual acts had taken place, and said he had nothing to do with her taking drugs.

In an impact statement, King’s victim said she had lost her childhood and lost her education at a crucial time in her life.

Mr Brookwell added: “The defendant has that previous conviction from 2019 and had clearly moved on from that child to the victim in this case.”

King pleaded guilty to engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 15, gross indecency, indecent assault on a girl aged 13-15, and inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity.

Judge Philip Parry sentenced King, 48, formerly of Invicta Court, York, to nine years in prison to run consecutively with the sentence he is currently serving.

He was also made subject of a 30-year sexual harm prevention order and placed on the sex offender’s register for life.