A man from Letchworth Garden City has been jailed in connection with child sex offences.

Ashley Hickey, 29, formerly of Campers Road, was sentenced to three years and six months after pleading guilty to three counts of sexual activity with a child.

The offences occurred at a property in Welwyn Garden City, between October and November 2018 and involved a female victim who was aged just 14 at the time.

It was also reported that he groomed the victim by treating her and buying her gifts. The offences were disclosed in December 2018 and police were called.

Hickey was arrested, but denied the allegations made against him.

Following an investigation by the Constabulary's Sexual Offences Investigation Team (SOIT) charges were secured and a trial date was set for May 2020, but was subsequently delayed due to Covid.

When the trial was eventually due to get under way on September 6, Hickey changed his plea to guilty.

Investigator Laura Harrison, from the Constabulary Sexual Offences Investigation Team (SOIT) said: "Hickey is a coward who decided not to admit his guilt at the earliest opportunity and instead put his victim through more than two years of uncertainty.

"I am pleased he is now behind bars and I hope this can provide the victim with a sense of closure.

"I would like to commend her for the bravery she has shown in coming forward and throughout the investigation.

"I hope this reassures people that we take allegations of sexual assault seriously and will always do everything we can to bring offenders to justice, no matter how long it takes.

"If you have been a victim of rape or sexual assault, please don't hesitate to report it.

The constabulary has specialist officers on hand who take these matters extremely seriously and can provide support and advice."

Alongside the jail term, he was also handed a restraining order and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), both lasting 10 years.