Man jailed for 11 years over child sex offences

A 50-year-old man who sexually assaulted a child has been jailed for 11 years.

Nicholas Manning, formerly of Grantham, appeared at Lincoln Crown Court for sentencing on Friday, 16 August after he was convicted at an earlier hearing.

He had been convicted of sexual assault by penetration and two counts of sexual touching after an incident in January of 2024.

Manning bought his young victim alcohol before taking advantage of them while in a vulnerable state.

He will now face 11 years behind bar and will be added to the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.

Detective Constable Stewart Humm hopes the result can bring Manning’s victim a sense of closure and warned would-be criminals they will pursue all lines of enquiry to catch them.

He said: “There is no place for this appalling behaviour in Lincolnshire and we will always do everything within our power to bring the perpetrators of such crimes to justice.

“I’d like to thank the victim of the case for showing tremendous bravery and courage, working with the force to ensure we had the information we needed to pursue a conviction.

“Thanks to their strength, a dangerous man is now off the streets.

“I’d also like to pay tribute to those officers and staff who worked on this case as we wouldn’t have achieved the result we have today without their hard work.”

If you’ve been the victim of rape or a sexual assault or offence, please report it to us as soon as possible.

Even if you’re not 100 per cent sure, we want to hear from you so that we can make sure you’re safe.

If you’re not ready to talk to the police just yet, that’s OK.

Follow this link here - Support for victims of rape and sexual assault | Lincolnshire Police (lincs.police.uk) to find out what other organisations can help and support you.

You can report a rape and sexual assault here - How to report rape and sexual assault | Lincolnshire Police (lincs.police.uk)