A man has been jailed for sexually assaulting a girl and taking and sharing indecent images of her.

Ryan Woolsey, 25 years old, from Withensfield, Liscard, was sentenced to 13 years and eight months in prison. Woolsey was convicted of two counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching, two counts of making indecent photographs of a child, possessing an indecent photograph of a child, distributing an indecent photograph of a child, and taking an indecent photograph of a child.

During the investigation into Woolsey's crimes, officers seized his devices and discovered he had taken and shared indecent images of the victim, as well as assaulting her. Detective Inspector Rob Pritchard stated: "I know that people hearing the details of Woolsey’s crimes will feel complete revulsion at the way he exploited a young child. His crimes are quite simply despicable."

"Woolsey had no regard for the impact his behaviour would have on the victim, and thought only of his own sordid gratification. Sex offending has a huge and devastating impact on victims and their families, and that harm can last a lifetime," Det Insp Pritchard added.

"I want to pay tribute to the victim in this case and her family, whose courage in coming forward and co-operating with the investigation has been humbling. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the team who investigated Woolsey, whose actions have helped put him behind bars and spare this child and others from further harm and exploitation. I hope Woolsey spends the long time he has in prison considering the terrible impact of his actions."

"Merseyside Police is completely committed to protecting children from sexual abuse and stopping those who seek to do them harm – including those who share images of that abuse. Our Unity team is dedicated to preventing sexual offences and protecting people from the trauma and hurt sexual abuse can inflict."