Men who drugged and prostituted girl, 14, are jailed Published duration 11 January 2018

image copyright West Midlands Police image caption (L-R) Jake Cairns, Brandon Sharples and Jack McInally forced the girl to have sex with 20 "clients"

Three men who forced a 14-year-old girl into prostitution and "plied her with drugs" have been sentenced for sexual exploitation offences.

Jake Cairns, 21, was sentenced to eight years, while Brandon Sharples, 20, and Jack McInally, 21, were given five years in prison.

The men took explicit photos of the teenager and posted an advert of her on an escort site, claiming she was 18.

The men, all from Coventry, were found guilty of the offences in November.

The girl was held at an address in Coventry for five days and a missing person inquiry was launched when she disappeared from a relative's home on 8 June 2015.

For three days men visited the property and paid for sex with the teenager; West Midlands Police believe about 20 men were forced on her.

On 13 June 2015, police raided the house and rescued her. She was found dressed only in her underwear and trying to climb out of a first floor window.

Cairns, of Cheveral Avenue in Radford, Sharples, 20, of Wyley Road in Radford and McInally, 21, of no fixed address, were arrested on suspicion of child abduction.

'Hellish ordeal'

DNA discovered on a duvet in a room where the girl was held was found to have come from five people, including Cairns.

All three men were sentenced for arranging or facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child and facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child.

Cairns was additionally charged with distributing indecent photographs of a child.

The trio were also given 10-year sexual harm prevention orders and ordered to sign on to the sex offenders register for life.

An NSPCC spokesperson said: "These predators callously exploited a vulnerable teenage girl and forced her to endure a hellish ordeal.

"These sentences show that victims of child sexual abuse can get justice and highlight the importance of reporting concerns that a child or young person is being sexually exploited."

Related Topics Coventry