A PAEDOPHILE who “utterly corrupted” a schoolgirl has been jailed for 10 years.

Rapist Leonard Eustace Aspinall, 33, groomed the girl when she was still at primary school by showing her pornography, said Patrick Palmer, prosecuting.

Then he started years of abusing her, culminating in rape, a Crown Court heard.

Mr Palmer said the girl believed what was happening to her was normal until she reached secondary school and had sex education.

“The prosecution say he had utterly corrupted her and distorted her natural development,” said Mr Palmer.

Passing a sentence of 10 years imprisonment plus five years extra prison licence, Judge Sean Morris, said: “You stole her childhood. She had her innocence stolen from her and deliberately stolen from her.”

Aspinall, of York, pleaded guilty to rape, three offences of sexual assault, two of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, two of causing a child to watch sex acts, two of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, two of distributing indecent images of children, six of downloading sexual images of children, one each of having prohibited images of children, extreme pornography and possessing cannabis.

He was put on the sex offenders’ register for life and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for 25 years.

For him, Colin Byrne said he had shown genuine remorse and unlike many paedophiles had admitted his crimes when interviewed by the police.

He had stopped the abuse himself and had spared her the ordeal of giving evidence by his guilty pleas.

A psychologist had suggested his offending could be have been caused by factors including misusing drink or drugs, mental health issues, a sexual interest in children or a lack of ability in keeping adult relationships.

Mr Palmer said Aspinall told police he was worried for the girl’s mental health and claimed he wasn’t attracted to her sexually and that he was attracted to adult women.