A PAEDOPHILE has been jailed for 17 years for a series of “warped and persistent” historic sex offences against a young girl.

Leigh McMillan, 46, from Grangers Croft, Milton Keynes was found guilty of six counts of sexual offences against a girl he knew, who was then aged between 10 and 15.

The offences took place while McMillan lived in Brighton between 1995 and 2000.

Unemployed McMillan pleaded not guilty to all counts and following a six-day trial at the Old Bailey in London.

He was found guilty of six offences and not guilty for two offences - gross indecency with a girl under 14 and attempted rape of a female under 16.

When he was sentenced on Monday, he was handed a 10-year sentence for indecent assault on a girl under the age of 14 and a seven-year sentence for the attempted rape of a female younger than 16, to run consecutively.

McMillan was also sentenced to four years for indecent assault on a girl under 14, 10 years for indecent assault on a girl under 14 and two years each for two counts of gross indecency with a girl under 14.

He was given a sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offenders register for life.

After sentencing him, Judge Bruce Houlder said McMillan “showed no remorse at all for the warped and persistent offences”.

He added that the “deliberate grooming” of the victim caused her “severe psychological harm.”

Detective Constable Jemma Paterson said: “This has understandably been a very difficult time for the victim.

“By pleading not guilty, McMillan put his victim through the ordeal of giving evidence and having to re-live the abuse she suffered from him.

“I would like to commend her, her family and her friends who all bravely came to court to give evidence.

“It has been a long and stressful ordeal for the victim where we provided the support she needed and we are pleased she has finally got justice.

“The victim showed great courage in coming forward and reporting these offences back in June 2016 and I want to urge anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse to come forward and report it to us.”