Monster who sexually abused a toddler.

A man who sexually abused a toddler was jailed for 15 years.

Andrew Michael Hansford, 29, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court for sexually assaulting a four-year-old girl on three separate occasions in West Dorset.

The victim, who cannot be identified due to legal reasons, told her mother about the abuse, and the family reported the incidents to Dorset Police.

In a victim impact statement, the girl's mother described the horror of the abuse and the significant harm it had on her daughter, who was now "terrified of men."

She said: "I'm just happy to have my daughter back. I don't want her to suffer anymore. I want her to see that not all men are monsters. She was just a child and doesn't deserve the hurt she has been put through."

The girl, now six years old, is receiving support from Sexual Trauma and Recovery Services (STARS).

Hansford was arrested and denied any involvement in the assaults. He was found guilty after a trial and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Judge Evans described the victim as "vulnerable" and highlighted the repeated nature of the abuse.

She said: "The effect on the victim and her mother has been one of huge distress. The girl is still very young at six and she has become frightened of men and in particular in fear of having to see you again. This court cannot know what the long-term impact will be but there is likely to be long-term impacts. You also caused huge distress to her mother. She blamed herself and she is not to blame in any way, but it is entirely human to blame oneself and ask oneself the question of 'what if?'."

Hansford was also issued a sexual harm prevention order for 20 years, placed on the sex offenders register for life, and given a restraining order against his victim.