Burnley man jailed for sexually assaulting young girl

Tuesday, 10 March 2026 07:46

By Central Radio News

A Burnley man has been jailed for more than 15 years for sexually assaulting a young girl.

Ian Wagstaff committed the offences against the girl when she was aged 10.

She made comments at school about what had happened and concerned staff contacted Lancashire Police who launched an investigation.

Wagstaff, 35, who is from Burnley, was arrested and later stood trial in December last year.

He was found guilty by a jury at Burnley Crown Court of assaulting a girl under 13 by penetration and two offences of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching.

Wagstaff, of no fixed address, was jailed for 15 years and six months, with an extended one-year licence period.

He was made subject of a 25-year restraining order.

In her Victim Personal Statement, the girl said: "Don't be afraid to tell someone even though it may be hard."

The girl’s mum said in a Victim Personal Statement: “My daughter has really struggled, with her emotions, with her mental health, and her relationships with others has suffered.

“It was very difficult for her talking to police about what had happened. Saying out loud about what had happened was a difficult thing to do.”

Her mum continued: “I think this is something she will always be scared of. What happened to her will affect her all her life and she will always live with the pain of what this man did to her.”

Det Con Cathryn Whitworth, said: “Wagstaff’s offending against a young girl was disgusting and the lengthy prison sentence he now has to serve shows the seriousness of what he did.

“Lancashire Police take all complaints of sexual offences extremely seriously and we will thoroughly investigate them to bring offenders to justice.”