Man who sexually abused child is jailed

A man who sexually abused a child has been jailed.

Harry Macarthur-Bale sexually assaulted the girl, who was under 13, on a number of occasions.

The matters came to light when the girl’s parents found messages between the pair on her phone and Ipod.

Police were called and Macarthur-Bale was arrested.

The 31-year-old of Town Street, Holbrook, Belper was subsequently charged with sexual touching, inciting a girl under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity of a non-penetrative nature, and sexual grooming.

He admitted the offences and appeared at Derby Crown Court for sentence on 28 January when he was jailed for four and a half years.

He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register and given a restraining order preventing him from having any contact with the victim.

In a victim impact statement, the girl’s mum said: “The effect this has had on our family has been overwhelming. It really is a ‘worst nightmare’ scenario.

“Words in this statement can never fully convey the impact this crime has had on my family unit. For me personally, this has tainted my life forever and I don’t think I will ever fully recover.”

And the girl’s father added: “We are left with a permanent psychological scar, no longer able to trust our ability to discern the cruel from the compassionate, the cunning from the honest, the malignant narcissistic from the benevolent empathetic, between good people and those who seek to harm us.”

Detective Constable Jodi Wood, who led the investigation, said: “Macarthur-Bale’s appalling offending has devastated both this victim and her family.

“He manipulated and abused this young girl to satisfy his own depraved sexual urges and has left her and her family with a life sentence having to deal with the mental, emotional and physical trauma of his actions.

“He is clearly a very dangerous individual so I’m glad he is now behind bars.”

If you or someone you know has been the victim of rape, sexual assault or another sexual offence please reach out for help and support.

There is a Rape and Sexual Assault reporting tool to our website. Here you can report something that's happened to you, or to someone else. To access it visit: https://www.derbyshire.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/v1/rape-sexual-assault-other-sexual-offences/

You can report anonymously, without giving us your details. We won't judge you; we'll treat you with respect, and we'll always put your health and wellbeing first.

Alternatively, you can contact us using the following methods:

• Facebook– send us private message to the Derbyshire Constabulary Facebook page
• Phone – call us on 101

If you have been affected by a similar crime, whether recent or non-recent, and would like some support you can contact SV2 – a Derbyshire based organisation who support victims of sexual violence.

You can contact them online www.sv2.org.uk or via their advice line 01773 746 115 (open 8am – 5pm) regardless of whether you wish to report an incident to police.