A man from Southport has been jailed for 23 years for historic sexual offences against a child

A man from Southport has been jailed for 23 years for historic sexual offences against a child.

Michael McGrane, 61, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court today, Monday 13 November, after being found guilty of rape and indecent assault.

Detectives carried out the investigation after receiving a report in January 2023 of sex offences against a child which spanned a several-year period.

Detective Inspector Rob Pritchard said: “This sentence follows an investigation to bring McGrane before the courts so that he pays for utterly depraved actions."

“Thanks to the determination and bravery of his victim, McGrane will now spend a considerable amount of time behind bars for his actions."

“Merseyside Police is completely committed to protecting children from sexual abuse and those who seek to do them harm."

“As you can imagine for victims of such an appalling crime, the impact on them is significant and long-lasting. I hope this sentence provides some comfort in knowing they did the right thing by reporting McGrane’s heinous crime to us."

“If you have experienced any form of sexual abuse, or know of a child being abused, please come forward and report this to police."

“We take all such reports extremely seriously and if you can find the courage to come forward and speak to us we have specially trained officers who will treat you with sensitivity and compassion.”

If you are a child or young person suffering sexual or physical abuse, the following organisations can also provide help and support:

NSPCC – call 0808 800 5000 or e-mail help@nspcc.org.uk.

Childline – call 0800 1111

If you’ve been affected by sexual violence of any kind don’t be afraid to tell someone, find the courage to come forward and get the help you deserve.

You can report rape, sexual assault and other sexual offences anonymously here: https://orlo.uk/L2YtE

There is a lot of support available from specialist officers within Merseyside Police and through the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Victim Care Merseyside service delivered jointly by two registered charities.

In Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral, support is provided by Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (RASA) Merseyside who are available on 0151 558 1801 and, in St Helens and Knowsley, by the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) Cheshire and Merseyside who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063.