A man has been jailed for four years for raping a girl when he was only a schoolboy.

Mark Cockroft, 32, of Norristhorpe, Liversedge , was found guilty by a jury at Leeds Crown Court earlier this month of the historic offence and admitted three charges of indecent assault on the same youngster years ago.

Kate Batty, representing him, said the fact he had admitted those offences showed his remorse. He had also revealed in his pre-sentence report that he too had been abused as a child which was likely to have contributed to what happened at his young age.

The probation service believed they could work with him about what had happened in the past which in the public interest would be better in the long term.

Jailing him and ordering him to register as a sex offender for life, Judge Neil Clark said at the time of the offences Cockroft was no more than 14 years of age and the girl about six years younger.

He had accepted forcing her to perform oral sex but had denied rape at trial.

“As a child some desire or lust within you meant you caused her to do things she didn’t want,” the judge said.

He added it was clear Cockroft had subsequently built a normal life for himself and was of “positive good character since.”

The judge added: “It is very difficult to sentence somebody for offences a long time ago, particularly when they were a child at the time as you were.”

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