December 2013 Child sex attacker who ‘ruined girl’s life’ is jailed A CHILD sex abuser who ruined a young girl’s life was jailed for eight years yesterday. The girl, now a teenager, told police that Keith Latham, 57, abused her every other day for 10 years. Prosecutor Shaun Dodds told Teesside Crown Court Latham began by buying her sweets when she was eight or nine, and he progressed to giving her money saying it was their “little secret”. When Latham was arrested he said he was sorry, denying the frequency of the attacks, but he did say that there had been an incident. Peter Makepeace, defending, said that according to a psychiatrist Latham’s behaviour could have been linked to a serious brain injury which he suffered in 1979. Mr Makepeace added: “He has always maintained that he does not remember the full extent of the offending. “It is going to be an extremely difficult time in prison for him.” Judge Peter Bowers told Latham: “I have seen her letter and what you did caused her very serious psychiatric damage. “From being a young child she had to live in the shadow of what you did and she will do so for the rest of her life.” Latham, of Melrose Avenue, Billingham, was jailed for eight years, given an indefinite Sexual Offence’s Prevention order banning contact with under-age girls, and ordered to register as a sex offender for life after he pleaded guilty to eight specimen charges of indecent assault between 1998 and 2008.