A MAN who sexually abused a girl for seven years has been jailed for 15 years.

Ashley Borrer, 37, of Hillside, Brighton, had been found guilty on November 29 of six counts of rape and four of sexual activity with the girl who was known to him in Portslade from 2005 to 2012.

The abuse began when she was eight years old and continued until she was 15.

Detectives also found he had downloaded child pornography even while awaiting trial. He pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing such images. He was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court yesterday.

Detective Constable Duncan Chalmers of the Sussex Police Safeguarding Investigations Unit said: "This victim came to us in 2014, having endured an appalling series of sexual abuse.

"Borrer knew her, and had systematically taken advantage of her from childhood onwards and it was only after several years that she felt able to talk about what had happened.

"We then worked carefully and sensitively with her, finally enabling her to see a measure of justice done to Borrer.

"Even while he was on bail awaiting his trial our Paedophile On-Line Investigation Team (POLIT) received information that Borrer was downloading indecent images of children at his current address.

"When they arrested him and examined his computer they found the images, including some of the most serious nature."

A Sussex Police spokesman said all images Borrer had were taken from the internet and did not involve the sex offences victim or any other local children.