Serial child rapist.

Serial Child Rapist Sentenced to 20 Years

Stephen Rafferty, 27, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for a catalogue of abuse against three young girls, all under the age of 14. He was convicted of 13 sexual offences, including nine counts of rape, after a trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

The court heard that Rafferty had a history of sexual abuse, having been tried and found not guilty of similar offences when he was a child. Despite this, he continued to offend, targeting vulnerable young girls.

Judge David Swinnerton described Rafferty's actions as "monstrous," stating that they had caused "serious psychological harm" to his victims. He said Rafferty had "groomed" his victims, using games and other tactics to gain their trust before sexually abusing them.

One of the victims, who was forced to perform sex acts on Rafferty multiple times a week, described the abuse as "scary" and said it had "ruined her life."

Another victim described how Rafferty had taken pictures of her body while she was partially clothed. She said she had self-harmed and suffered with an eating disorder as a result of his abuse.

The court heard that Rafferty has mental health difficulties, including Autism Spectrum Disorder, OCD and "possibly Asperger's." However, Judge Swinnerton said that Rafferty had accepted only "limited responsibility" for his crimes.

Rafferty was also subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life and must sign the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.