A Paedophile from Gateshead, Gary Moorhead, convicted of sexually abusing a child, has been sentenced to nearly twenty years in prison.
Gary Moorhead, 61, manipulated the youngster by purchasing her confections and gifts while committing a series of assaults against her.
In 2023, the victim courageously reported the assault she endured to Northumbria Police, prompting a comprehensive inquiry by the investigators.
Gary Moorhead was interrogated and subsequently charged with two charges of gross indecency with a minor, two counts of indecent assault, and one count of unlawful sexual contact with a minor.
He refuted the charges and underwent trial at Newcastle Crown Court in December of the previous year.
Gary Moorhead was convicted by a jury on all counts and then taken into custody.
Gary Moorhead, residing on South View Terrace, Swalwell, reappeared in court on Monday (March 10) and received a sentence of 19 years in jail, with an additional year to be served on parole post-release.
He will be permanently included on the Sex Offenders’ Register and is required to comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) that restricts his contact with minors. A restraining order was issued against him, prohibiting any contact with the victim.
Following Moorhead’s sentencing, the officer in charge of the case, Detective Constable Frank Cox, of the Force’s Safeguarding Department, said: “Firstly, let me pay tribute to the victim who so bravely came forward to report the horrendous abuse she suffered from Moorhead when she was a child.
“If not for her making that initial contact and then recounting the offending, we would not have been able to build such a comprehensive case against him. We hope that the victim is now able to take a degree of closure now that Moorhead has received such a lengthy sentence.”
Det Con Cox added: “Gary Moorhead is a dangerous predator, and we are pleased that he has now been sent to prison where he can no longer pose a threat to anybody else.
“I hope the outcome of this case sends a clear message to the offenders in our communities who have committed these types of crimes – you won’t get away with them and we’ll do everything within our power to bring you to justice on behalf of the people you have caused such serious hurt to.
“Most importantly, this result is an example of what we can do when we work together to support survivors of sexual offences and hold their abusers to account.
“If you’ve been a victim of sexual abuse, please be aware that we can help you; report to us today.”
To access support or find out more information on how to disclose sexual assault or rape, visit Northumbria Police’s website.
To report any other type of non-recent abuse, send the Force a direct message on social media, use the live chat function on the Force website or go to the report pages, which are also on the website.
For those unable to contact police via the above ways, please call 101.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.