A father who systematically groomed and abused a vulnerable schoolgirl for two years was jailed for four and a half years.
A judge told 57-year-old Frederick Yeo, a former Ellesmere Port man, that he had “controlled and manipulated” his impressionable victim.
Liverpool Crown Court heard Yeo befriended the girl through a family friend when she was just 14 and abused her trust and encouraged her into a sexual relationship, which continued until after she was 16.
Jailing him, Judge John Phipps said: “You controlled and manipulated her by playing on her youth, inexperience and sensibilities. You allowed and encouraged the relationship to become sexual.”
Judge Phipps added that Yeo’s level of “deviousness” was obvious from how he arranged secret meetings, told his victim to keep their relationship secret and even told people she was his niece.
Yeo, formerly of Walton and Ellesmere Port denied nine counts of indecent assault.
A jury convicted him of all the charges from which spanned March 2002 to December 5, 2003.
Yeo’s barrister Steven Swift said his client “maintained his innocence” and continued to deny the offences. He insisted the girl had made up the allegations.
Yeo was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely and a sexual offenders’ prevention order was made banning him for life from being alone with a girl under 18 without appropriate supervision.
