DANNY HARPER OF WYTHENSHAWE SENTENCED TO NEARLY 13 YEARS FOR SERIAL SEXUAL ABUSE AND REPORTEDLY FILMING VICTIM'S ABUSE
A man known as a monster was sentenced to nearly 13 years in prison after repeatedly raping a young girl over nine months and recording the assaults on his phone to degrade and humiliate her.Danny Harper, 31, from Wythenshawe, admitted to three counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault, and one count of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.
On March 15, he received a sentence of 12 years and 10 months.
The court was told that Harper began abusing the girl in early 2020, taking pictures of her genitals and telling her the abuse was their secret to keep her from reporting it, which caused her pain and kept her from confiding in others.
Prosecutor Brian Berlyne noted, "Harper began his abuse early 2020, and he took photos of her genitals.
She noticed him doing this and suffered pain from the abuse.
He told her it was their little secret." Harper's offending was uncovered after his interactions with a fake social media profile of a 10-year-old girl operated by a paedophile hunter group.
He added her as a friend on Facebook and messaged her on September 3 last year, telling her she was cute and asking about her age, to which she replied she was 10.
He then inquired about her underwear, and on September 18, he suggested he could show her "naughty things" and teach her about sex.
He then asked her to send photos of her genitals and in her underwear.
The victim bravely confided in her mother, leading to her medical examination, which confirmed injuries.
Harper was arrested, and his phone was seized, revealing 45 indecent images of the girl, including 15 showing him sexually abusing her.
During police interviews, Harper admitted to being a "monster" and said he had never used protection, claiming loneliness as a motivation for messaging the profile.
A victim impact statement from the girl's grandmother described her as a happy and thoughtful child who became physically sick when she disclosed the abuse.
She expressed devastation, stating, "He has ruined my life.
This man has destroyed all of ours.
He knew exactly what he was doing and understood the consequences of his actions." Harper had prior convictions unrelated to this case but showed genuine remorse and did not want to cause further suffering.
His defense lawyer, Rachel White, explained that he has learning difficulties, including autism spectrum disorder and ADHD, and that his misconduct started opportunistically but then became persistent.
He expressed a desire to rebuild his life and avoid reoffending.
Judge John Potter sentenced Harper to 12 years and 8 months in prison, imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and ordered him to register as a sex offender for life.
The judge condemned Harper’s actions as depraved, highlighting the significance of the sexual offenses, especially the filming of the abuse and the lack of protection during the acts, which made the case particularly heinous.
