A paedophile who repeatedly raped a young child has been given a life sentence.
Mark Hutchinson-Schofield, 55, of Lovell Park Hill, Leeds, was found guilty following a trial at Leeds Crown Court this week after an investigation by specialist safeguarding officers in Leeds.
The offences came to light in July last year when the victim told a teacher who alerted the police. Hutchinson-Schofield was arrested but denied the offences in his police interview and called the victim a liar.
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Officers from Leeds District Safeguarding Unit saw through his lies and pursued charges with the Crown Prosecution Service. He was also charged with offences related to breaching sex offender conditions, which he pleaded guilty to at the start of the trial.
Today at Leeds Crown Court, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years.
Detective Inspector Mark Tester said: “Hutchinson-Schofield was responsible for an appalling and sustained catalogue of abuse against this vulnerable child that has had a devastating, traumatic effect on the victim’s young life. He systematically sexually exploited the victim for his own gratification.
“This was a challenging investigation where the officer in the case, Detective Constable Nicki Vincent, supported the victim at every stage to comprehensively capture all the evidence that has helped to secure these convictions against Hutchinson-Schofield."
The victim bravely gave evidence against sick Hutchinson-Schofield in court under "special measure". This meant they were allowed to be video recorded ahead of the trial in a bid to reduce the distress a court case can have on a victim of sexual abuse.
Det Insp Tester hopes the victim can find some reassurance from the fact his abuser is now behind bars. He added: “We hope the significant sentence that Hutchinson-Schofield has now received will provide some reassurance to the victim and their family, as well as to the wider community.
"Our specialist safeguarding officers will continue to do everything they can to secure convictions against predatory offenders like this to get justice for victims and protect others from harm.”
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