Man jailed for child sex offences

A man who had a sexual relationship with a teenager who was more than ten years younger than him has been jailed.

Daniel Outing, aged 32, of no fixed abode was arrested in 2018 after his victim disclosed the relationship to a family member.

Following his arrest searches of his devices found they contained hundreds of indecent images of children and some extreme pornographic images.

He was sentenced on Thursday 15 August at Norwich Crown Court having previously admitted to nine charges.

These comprised five counts of  sexual activity with a girl under the age of 16 between 1 April 2017 and 31 July 2018, three counts of making an indecent photograph on or before 20 November 2018, and one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image on or before 20 November 2018

A separate charge of failure to comply with notification requirements was added, relating to his homelessness.

He was handed a six-year jail sentence and an extended licence period of four years. He was also given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim.

In a statement read to the court the victim said that while at the time she had not realised how serious and wrong the relationship was, it had taken a huge toll on her life.

She said that due to her age she was easily encouraged to skip lessons in order to spend more time with Outing.

Over time this had a detrimental effect on her education. Eventually she withdrew both from school and friendships in order to keep the relationship secret, Outing saying they would both get into trouble if they were found out.

Understanding that the relationship was illegal and inappropriate had had a huge impact on her mental health, she said.

As a result of Outing's actions she found family and emotional relationships incredibly difficult.

However, once the case concluded she said she wanted to return to learning and find a way to support other child victims of adult abuse.