A man from Bradford has been jailed for nearly 13 years for sex attacks on three young girls.
Richard Halliday, of Wrose Road in Shipley, was sentenced to 12 years and nine months at Bradford Crown Court on Thursday 31 May for the offences which occurred between 2013 and 2017.
The offences came to light in May last year when police investigated reports of concerns about the 36-year-old and his friendship with an 11-year-old girl.
Following Halliday’s arrest two other girls aged 11 and 12 came forward and disclosed that he had sexually assaulted them.
Halliday was later charged with counts of rape and sexual assault and appeared before Bradford Magistrates, where he initially pleaded not guilty to all offences and was released on bail.
Earlier this month he appeared at Bradford Crown Court, where he pleaded guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault and was bailed ahead of his sentencing, where he was also dealt with for drugs offences.
Following his sentencing, Detective Constable Polly Jackson, of the Bradford District Safeguarding Unit, said: “We would like to thank the victims for their bravery in coming forward and hope that today’s outcome will give them some closure.
“We would also like to thank those who reported their concerns about Halliday. Their diligence in doing this not only helped us to safeguard his victims from further abuse, but may well have prevented other young girls from being targeted by him.
“Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and we would encourage others who may have concerns about what appear to be inappropriate relationships between children and adults to report these, so we can investigate these matters further.
“We would also encourage any victims who have not yet come forward to speak with our specially trained officers, who will investigate all reports sensitively and thoroughly so steps can be taken to protect the victims and to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
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