A paedophile who subjected a boy to sexual abuse has been jailed.

Joe Lloyd, 29, assaulted the victim on several occasions.

He subjected the boy to sexual assaults, including rapes which gradually become more serious over time.

The offences came to light when they were reported to police in May 2017 and Lloyd was arrested soon after.

Specialist detectives from Essex Police’s adult sexual assault investigation team carried out an investigation into the offences and charged Lloyd with 24 separate offences.

He denied the charges but was convicted of 19 counts of rape and five counts of sexual assault at Basildon Crown Court last week.

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Lloyd, of Ullswater Road, London, SE27 was jailed for nine years and put on the Sex Offenders' Register for life during a sentencing hearing at the same court today (Thursday, February 25).

Investigating officer PC Karen Smale, said: “He paid little regard for his victim’s welfare, instead manipulated them for his own sexual gratification.

“This investigation has involved years of painstaking detective work to secure this conviction and sentencing and I want to thank the victim for their support.

“They have shown incredible courage, firstly to come forward and report what happened and then to have to re-live the ordeal through a trial.

“No sentence can reverse the past but I hope this goes some way to help them move forward.

“I hope this sentence shows that it’s never too late to get justice and I would urge any other victims of sexual abuse to come forward and report it to us”.