Northamptonshire paedophile jailed for sexually assaulting 14-year-old girl and making her pregnant

A 48-year-old Northamptonshire paedophile has been jailed for six-and-a-half years after he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and made her pregnant.

James Howell, 48, previously of Eastfield Crescent, Nassington, pleaded guilty to sexual activity with a child at Northampton Crown Court last week.

Howell first came to Northamptonshire Police’s attention when a vulnerable young girl’s unborn baby was linked to him. An investigation was quickly launched with irrefutable DNA evidence confirming that he was the father.

Despite initially denying the offences during an interview with the police, Howell pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and was subsequently sentenced to six-and-a-half years in jail with an extra three on licence.

He will also be on the Sex Offenders' Register for life with restrictions preventing him from residing or having any direct contact with any girl under 16.

Lead investigator, Detective Constable Ryan Smedley, said: “This has been a long process for the young girl in this case with it taking over two years from reporting the offence to Howell eventually being jailed.

“The young girl and her family are very happy that justice has been served and I would like to thank them all for their patience throughout the investigation. Hopefully they can now move on with their lives and look forward to the future.

“The whole family, and especially the victim in this case, have been extremely brave – not only by reporting the offence but also in the face of adversity from people who looked to discredit the validity of their report.

“These people did not succeed and James Howell has rightly been outed as a dangerous sexual predator who preyed on a young, vulnerable girl.

“His sentence reflects the seriousness of his offence and I hope this case shows just how seriously Northamptonshire Police takes crimes against children.”