Bolton man carried out sexual offences with girls when he was under 16

Edwin Withington, 24, of Newby Road, Breightmet, was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for 24 months, at Bolton Crown Court on Friday.

He had previously pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual assault of a child under the age of 13 and five counts of causing a child of under 13 to engage in sexual activity when he appeared in court on November 14.

The court heard Withington committed the offences when he was between the ages of 11 or 12 and 16.

Both victims read out their impact statements in court.

One victim said: “The sexual abuse I suffered as a child has had a negative impact on my life and how I see myself and others.

“Looking back as an adult, I see an unhappy child whose only way of reacting was to be angry and violent.

“I didn’t know how to express it with words as to what was happening to me.

“The violent and angry child who others saw was far from who I wanted to be.

“I can now see that how I reacted was the only way I knew.

“Now as I get older I struggle to trust people. I need to know everything about them to try and feel comfortable with them, but this has the opposite effect. I don’t know how to feel comfortable.

“I’m always expecting the worst of people.

“What he did to me makes me feel disgusted in my own body. I can’t ever see that feeling going away.”

She also said she suffering mental health problems as a result of the abuse.

The other victim said: “I spend the majority of my childhood trying to block out what happened to me.

“When I was young I was seen as carefree, I wouldn’t let anyone’s opinion affect me, I wasn’t scared of anything.

“I went to church and believed in God before and during the time the offence took place.

"During the time of the offence, I started to understand it wasn’t normal and I started to lose faith.

“I thought if God is real, why would he let this happen to me?”

She added: “How do I even begin to explain my anxiety. I’m so scared of getting things wrong. I overthink everything, I worry about breathing correctly.

“I’m scared of everything.

“I struggle to see the point anymore, I can’t escape it.”

In defence, barrister Robert Kearney highlighted Withington’s young age at the time he committed the acts and that he suffered a difficult childhood.

Mr Kearney said “He was sexually abused himself. His behaviour was learned behaviour.

A probation officer’s assessment that he had showed "genuine remorse" about what he did and an "acceptance of responsibility" was cited.

Withington pleaded guilty at the first opportunity, turned himself in to a police station and had never been in trouble with the law before, the court was told.

Judge Tom Gilbart said: “This is not a straightforward sentencing exercise.

“Anyone hearing those statements being read out in court would have been moved by them.

“It shows tremendous bravery of the victims to come to court today and speak so eloquently."

Despite accepting the mitigating circumstances, Judge Gilbart said Withington's offences were "so serious" that they must be marked by a custodial sentence.

He sentenced Withington to 20 months imprisonment, suspended for 24 months.

The suspension is on the conditions that he undergoes 12 months of mental health treatment, 40 days of rehabilitation activity, 35 days of an accredited sexual offending requirement.