A GRANDFATHER who crept into the bed of a teenage girl before twice sexually assaulting her has been jailed.

Darren Blagboro, 44, had "groomed" the teenager before luring her to his home at Carleton, near Skipton, on February 17, 2015.

He had denied assaulting the girl, who cannot be named, but was found guilty following a trial at Bradford Crown Court.

The court heard that Blagboro had sent a number of texts to the girl in the days leading up to the assaults, before then arranging for her to stay at his house.

He was said to have taken cocaine and drunk alcohol before his victim, who he told was "beautiful", went to bed.

She fell asleep, but woke up to find Blagboro in her bed "spooning her" from behind.

She asked him to leave, but when she awoke for a second time, he had his hands inside her clothing and was inappropriately touching her.

The court heard she told him to stop, but when she woke up for a third time, he was again in the bed doing the same thing.

After Blagboro went downstairs, he then later woke the girl at around 5am by sending a text saying he wanted a "cuddle."

When she got up, he asked the girl whether she would perform sex acts on him, but she refused.

The court was told that Blagboro later sent further texts to the girl apologising for his behaviour, but she informed the police.

In interview and during his trial, he claimed that someone else must have been responsible for sending the texts from his phone, trying to pin the blame on his then 18 year-old girlfriend.

Jayne Beckett, prosecuting, said Blagboro's was a "well-orchestrated spate of offending" that had left "profound effects" on the girl and her family.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the girl said that when re-watching her police interview she "couldn't believe" it was her, stating she was "so young, vulnerable, and naive."

She said: "I could see why he targeted me and singled me out. I was groomed. I felt sick."

Susannah Proctor, defending, said Blagboro, of West Road, Carleton, had grown up in a "volatile and drunken environment", leaving home before fathering his first child at just 16.

She said he now had more grown-up children, one of whom had given him a grandchild, and was in "stable" relationships with their mothers.

She said Blagboro had run his own business, but that the firm had ceasing trading when allegations of his offending were made public.

The court also heard that Blagboro suffered from a stress-related medical condition that had led to him spending time in hospital in both Spain, where he moved to prior to returning to the UK for his trial, and at Airedale.

Sentencing him to 39 months in prison, Recorder David Gordon said Blagboro had been "manipulative and devious" in his behaviour, with the texts sent to the girl showing a "significant element of grooming."

He said: "You exploited the age difference between the two of you. You were just seeking to win her trust so you could seduce and abuse her.

"You deliberately manoeuvred the complainant into a position where she felt isolated."

Recorder Gordon told Blagboro he must register as a sex offender for an indefinite period, and imposed a restraining order preventing any contact between him and his victim for a period of ten years.