A man from Winsford who sexually assaulted three young girls in Macclesfield has been jailed.

Christopher Rollings appeared at Chester Crown Court today, Thursday 9 June, where he was sentenced to 21-years in prison, with a further year on licence . 

The 76-year-old of Wharton Bridge, Wharton Road, Winsford, had earlier been found guilty of 15 offences following an eight-day trial, these included:  

• One count of rape

• Six counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 16

• Three counts of inciting a girl under the age of 16 to commit an act of gross indecency

• Possession of extreme pornography

• Possession of a prohibited image of a child

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• Three counts of making indecent images of children (Category A, B and C)

In addition to his prison sentence Rollings was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life. 

During the trial the jury heard how Rollings' offending took place between 1968 and 1980 when he and his victims were living in the Macclesfield area.

One of his victims was just 11-years-old when the abuse began and the other two were aged 13.

On each occasion Rollings became friends with the victims and their families, before sexually abusing the girls, he also raped one of his victims.

It was not until March 2019 when his victims built-up the courage to report the matter to police, resulting in his arrest on Wednesday 3 April 2019.

Following his arrest, a search was also conducted at Rollings home in Winsford where officers recovered a number of electronic devices which were found to contain indecent images of children.

Officers also discovered 45 extreme pornographic images which showed a person performing sexual intercourse with live animals.

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During questioning Rollings denied abusing any of the girls and even claimed that one of the victims had flirted with him.

He also denied possessing any indecent images of children, stating that one of the devices recovered by police was not his.

Despite his denial Rollings was charged with a total of 18 offences; he was subsequently found guilty of 15 offences.

Following his sentencing Detective Constable Jo Jarvis, who led the investigation, said: "Firstly, I would like to recognise the courage that all the victims have shown throughout this investigation.

"All of the victims were children when they were systematically abused by Rollings in order fulfil his own perverse sexual gratification.

"What he subjected the girls to was truly horrifying, not only that, but he made them endure a trial and recount what he had done them to.  

"But thanks to the bravery of the three women, Rollings is now finally being held accountable for his actions.

"I hope that the sentence handed to Rollings will provide some closure to his victims and also encourage other victims of sexual abuse to come forward. 

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"As this case demonstrates, we treat all reports of historic sexual offences seriously and we will always do our best to ensure offenders are brought to justice."

If you have been a victim of sexual abuse, or know of someone who has, please contact Cheshire Police on 101, https://www.cheshire.police.uk/ or Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111.