A dangerous pedophile has been jailed for seven and a half years after abusing a child. Anthony Collins, 55, from Dover, Kent, was found guilty of 14 offences of sexual activity with a child.

The victim, who bravely came forward to report the abuse, showed incredible courage and strength in her ordeal. Judge Mark Weekes praised her for not allowing the abuse to break her spirit and commended her for forcing Collins to confront his actions.

Despite pleading guilty, Collins attempted to minimize his crimes and blame the victim. The probation officer assessing him concluded that he posed a high risk of re-offending, leading Judge Weekes to label him a dangerous offender.

The judge highlighted Collins's denial of sexual attraction to children as a further risk factor, emphasizing that his failure to acknowledge this, coupled with victim blaming and limited insight, made him susceptible to future offenses if not intensively supervised.

Collins's extended sentence includes a minimum term of five years before he can be considered for parole by the Parole Board. Upon release, he will be subject to an additional four and a half years on license, alongside indefinite sex offender notification requirements and bans from working with children and vulnerable adults.