Convicted paedophile sexually assaulted girl, 14, in Darwen

Preston Crown Court heard that in August last year Ashley McPhee, 26, found himself alone with his most recent victim at a house in Darwen.

Peter Wilson, prosecuting, said as they sat on a bed together chatting, McPhee edged his way towards the girl before getting on top of her, pulling her shirt down, and giving her three love bites on her chest area.

It was heard that the 14-year-old, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, went home and told her parents, and McPhee was arrested that same day.

He denied that anything happened between him and the schoolgirl but was remanded into custody however for a separate offence of possessing a knife after police discovered he had a weapon on him.

He was jailed in September for 18 weeks for the knife offence and for also being in breach of notification requirements imposed on him in 2019 following his conviction for sexual offences committed against a different teenage girl in 2018.

The 2018 offences were committed in Ireland, where, the court heard, he had also committed several crimes including breaches of his sex offender notification requirements, possession of drugs and multiple breaches of a restraining order.

Ashley McPhee (Image: Lancs Police)

McPhee was only charged with the August 2023 offence in November after he was released from the 18-week custodial sentence, and initially pleaded not guilty, with a trial date set for May this year.

Judge Philip Parry said: “You were charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl on November 13, 2023.

“You made your first appearance at court on December 12 and pleaded not guilty to sexual assault and said it didn’t happen.

“A trial was set for May this year but because your victim is a 14-year-old girl, there was a date set for her to be cross-examined by your barrister in what is called a section 28 hearing.

“At a ground rules hearing earlier this week you indicated that you wanted to plead guilty and didn’t want a trial after all.

“At that hearing, having gone through the facts, I told you that the maximum sentence I could impose on you would be 10 months in prison and you changed your plea to guilty, meaning that your victim did not have to come to court at all and give her evidence in that section 28 hearing.

“You will get credit for that.

“You had a real effect on your victim. She became lonely and sad, and her friends turned against her when none of this was her fault.

“What you did has had an effect on her wellbeing and you should be ashamed of what you did to this young girl.

“Your contact with this young girl put you in breach of your notification requirements.

“You have a poor antecedent record and a poor history of complying with court orders.”

McPhee, of no fixed abode but whose last known addresses were in Darwen and Blackburn, was jailed for 10 months.

He was made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, must sign the sex offender’s register for 10 years, and was made the subject of a restraining order against his victim for the same period.