A 19-year-old man who raped a child has been sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Shaie John Forth, 19, formerly of Gorseway in Clipstone, was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on August 17, 2023 following a five-day trial. The jury returned majority guilty verdicts for four counts of child rape.

Forth was also acquitted of the rape of a 40-year-old woman during the same trial. He was arrested following a report to police in May 2017. Investigations uncovered that a child had been subjected to horrific abuse on a number of occasions when Forth was as young as 15.

Although he pleaded not guilty to the charges, prior to sentencing, his defense spoke on his behalf where he acknowledged his wrong doing against the child and showed remorse. He stated that he was sorry for what happened and the affect it had on the victim.

As well as the prison sentence, Forth was also placed on the sex offenders register for life and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Detective Sergeant Dan Bebbington of Nottinghamshire Police said: "This has been an extremely distressing case for everyone involved. No child should ever have to undergo these kind of horrors and that's why our Child Abuse Unit exists. We are here to help such brave young people find the courage to speak out about what is happening to them."

"This child should be commended for her exceptional strength at such a young age. She has shown incredible resilience in providing us with the evidence needed to fully investigate the crimes. The sentence today marks the end of this investigation, and the start of the rest of this remarkable young girl's life."

"We encourage anyone with concerns regarding the mistreatment of children, in all its forms, to contact Nottinghamshire Police on 101 so we can continue our efforts in eradicating this most despicable of crimes."