A 'dangerous' pervert has been jailed for ten years for sexually assaulting a teenage girl then blackmailing her in a failed attempt to keep her quiet.

Lee Matthews "exploited" the girl in his "morbid and sexualised desire" for her, the judge who sentenced him said.

Judge William Ashworth said Gosport-based Matthews' abuse left mental damage that ‘outstrips and outlasts any physical harm".

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The 39-year-old, of Forton Road, Gosport, admitted a string of offences in July last year, including four charges of sexual assault, upskirting, producing an indecent image of a child and making indecent images of children.

Police seized two devices - a mobile phone and Samsung tablet - and found nearly 100 child abuse images.

These were 70 category B images, including one video, and 28 category C images.

Sentencing, judge Ashworth imposed a 10-year and six-month jail term with a seven-year extended licence.

DC David Sloan, from the Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: “Lee Matthews is a dangerous individual who poses a clear threat to the wider public, particularly children.

“This catalogue of horrifying offences will have a devastating impact on the victim, who despite Matthews’ devious attempts to dissuade her from speaking out was able to bravely report this to police.

“Because of her courage, Matthews will now spend a lengthy period of time in prison, and will also be subject to an extended period on licence after the judge determined that he was a particularly dangerous man.

“I hope this case provides confidence to anyone else who is being abused that police are here to support you and ensure those responsible for causing serious harm to children are brought to justice.”

Police are urging anyone who has been abused to come forward to police.

A spokesperson said: "We want to encourage anyone who has been affected by child sexual abuse to contact police on 101, where you can speak to an officer in confidence.

"We recognise that not everyone has the confidence to talk to police about what they have experienced.

"Please be reassured that there are other services available that can offer you specialist support to help you deal with the impact of abuse."