December 2008 Man jailed over sex abuse A MAN has been jailed for sexually abusing a schoolgirl over ten years. Frederick Crooks, 48, of Northland Road, Blackley, was yesterday sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely after pleading guilty to six counts of gross indecency at Manchester Crown Court last month. The charges relate to historic abuse. The court heard that Crooks forced the girl to touch him intimately and threatened that no one would believe her if she told. Det Cons Jon McPherson, of Manchester’s Child Protection Unit, said: “Crooks subjected his victim to sustained and prolonged sexual abuse. “He made her think no-one would believe her if she told anyone and it has taken many years for her to finally work up the strength to report him. “He has taken her childhood from her in a truly heinous way and these experiences affected her both physically and mentally. “I hope today’s result will be a small comfort to the victim that Crooks is finally facing the consequences of his actions.”