A man who used a young girl to put into practice his juvenile sexual fantasies has been jailed for five and a half years.

Michael Porrett wrote down sexually explicit fantasies around the same time that he indecently assaulted the girl, Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday.

Prosecutor Sophie Drake said the offences took place over a two-month period when Porrett was aged 16 or 17 and the girl was seven or eight.

Miss Drake said the defendant would buy the girl presents. When arrested he was in possession of a large number of letters, drawings and notes in which he described sexually explicit fantasies about young children, which he said he had written around the time of the offences.

Miss Drake said the victim, in a personal statement, said the abuse had affected every aspect of her life.

She struggled with what had happened, felt angry, and it had affected her relationship with her husband.

Porrett, 35, of Rayleigh Street, East Bowling, Bradford, was convicted after a trial of four offences of sexual abuse of a child.

His barrister, Kate Batty, said the offending was over a relatively short period of time and seemingly stopped of his own volition. He was now accepting that the offences took place.

Jailing him, Judge Colin Burn said the abuse had been regular, if not sustained.

Judge Burn told Porrett: “You were getting her into situations whereby you were able to go some short way towards putting into practice your juvenile sexual fantasies.”

He said the complainant was upset and distressed on a long-term basis by what had happened. Having to revisit at trial had had a serious effect on her.

Judge Burn added: “It is a lifelong effect. After serving your sentence you are able to move on, but she isn’t.”