12 years for laughing child rapist

JACK FARNWORTH

A VIOLENT and manipulative teenager who raped a vulnerable girl, laughed as he forced himself on her, a court was told.

Jack Farnworth ignored her cries to stop - and even filmed part of the degrading acts on his phone.

Farnworth aged 20, but 18 at the time, had been in a short relationship with his victim but rapidly turned from attentive and considerate to domineering and frightening.

During a 10-day trial at Manchester Crown Court, he denied all allegations against him - insisting the girl, who was around 13 at the time, had made them up. He was found guilty of two counts of rape and seven of sexual activity with a child.

Sentencing him to 12 years at a young offenders’ institution, Mr Recorder Philip Curran said he had proved to be a jealous, possessive and controlling man who suffered extreme mood swings.

On one occasion Farnworth, of Higginshaw Lane, Royton, had deliberately got the girl high on cannabis before having sex with her. On another he tried to make her drink whisky to make her compliant.

The trial jury last November had heard how his victim had first believed she was in love with him, agreeing to sex to cement their relationship. But the relationship quickly turned sour — and while he controlled even what she wore, he was having a relationship with another woman.

He had claimed to police that he had not known how young she was, but the court was told he had been fully aware she was 13, and had taken active steps to avoid anyone discovering their affair.

He ordered her to say nothing to friends, deleted all traces of calls and texts from his phone, and told her to do the same.

The court was told that during the rape incidents the girl told police he had laughed at her protests, telling her repeatedly that it would "soon be over".

He had then become angry with her, telling her he wanted her to enjoy what was happening, threatening violence unless she at least feigned it.

Recorder Curran told him he had made a “dramatic impact” on the young girl’s life, which had led to depression and even suicidal thoughts.

Farnworth was told he must serve half his 12-year sentence in custody, and the remainder on licence. He was told had he been an older and more mature man he would have got 15 years for what he had done.