'What he did was nothing short of depraved'

A paedophile "preyed on young girls" before sexually assaulting them, including one victim who was just four years old.

Thomas Noone, 33, was caught after the girl's grandfather went to police to report what had happened. At Minshull Street Crown Court on Monday (November 18), Noone, of Stretford, was jailed for ten-and-a-half years.

He was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault by penetration against a minor and one count of sexual assault against an adult.

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An investigation was launched in 2020 after the grandfather of one victim, who police say was aged four to five at the time, contacted police about "non-recent sexual abuse" that happened at an address in Greater Manchester in 2010.

A second victim then came forward and told police that she too had been sexually assaulted by Noone. When interviewed by detectives, Noone denied sexually assaulting both victims. During trial, he pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, but was later found guilty by a jury.

In 2016, Noone was previously found guilty of sexually assaulting a female under 13. He was jailed for three years and placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Speaking after the sentencing hearing, Detective Sergeant Louise Haslam, of Greater Manchester Police, said: “The acts Mr Noone committed here are nothing short of depraved. He preyed on young girls and exploited their vulnerability due to their age and never took responsibility for his actions, which highlights even more how courageous the victims were to come forward.

“What they have been through is something no-one should ever experience, and the fact they have remained so strong throughout