Sick Leeds paedophile 'bit' seven-year-old and made her watch animal porn videos

Sick Jonathan Ashmore confessed to his crime, but only after he was found guilty by a jury. Leeds Crown Court was told that Ashmore, now 51, would sexually touch the terrified youngster’s genitals and even masturbated in front of her.

He gave her the sex toy and encouraged her to use it and also bit her shoulder and earlobe for sexual gratification. He also told her to “keep it a secret”. It was only when she finally confessed to her grandparent did his offending come to light.

Ashmore, who is already serving a lengthy jail sentence for an unrelated matter, was found guilty of 11 offences in total, including multiple sexual assaults and causing a child watch images of sexual activity.

In a victim impact statement read to the court from the child’s mother, she said: “She has lost trust in people and is wary of men. She struggles to form new relationships. She should not have had to go through this. This will be with her for the rest of her life.”

Judge Tom Bayliss KC referred to a pre-sentence report which deemed Ashmore, formerly of Regal Parade, Cross Gates, to be of “serious risk of harm” to children.

Judge Bayliss described Ashmore’s approach to his trial as “wholly disingenuous” and told him: “She was a little girl, just seven or eight. Anyone hearing the victim impact statements cannot be under the misapprehension of the harm that you caused.

"You groomed her and told her to keep it a secret. You showed her a video of an adult female with an animal. Why it gave you pleasure to show a child those videos is difficult to contemplate.”

He handed him an extended sentence totalling 10 years, made up of six years’ jail and four years on licence. Ashmore is already serving an 11-year sentence for GBH, and is eligible for release in November of next year. However, his new sentence will begin once his previous term finishes.

He was also handed a lifelong sexual harm prevention order and put on the sex offenders register for life.