November 2009 Child rapist jailed for 14 years A sex offender who subjected a schoolgirl to years of abuse has received a lengthy jail sentence. Michael Dangerfield, 56, of Old Church Road, was sent down for 14 years at Lewes Crown Court after being convicted of 14 offences including several rapes and numerous sexual assaults. Police in Hastings received reports in June that a 15-year-old girl had been subjected to sexual abuse and rape. An investigation was launched and officers arrested Dangerfield. The investigation revealed that the victim, who cannot be named due to her age, had been subjected to years of abuse and been repeatedly raped by this man. DC Darryl Donaghue and DS Paul Sandeman, of Hastings CID, interviewed and prepared the case for the Crown Prosecution Service. DS Sandeman said: “This was a tragic case of serious and systematic abuse of a vulnerable young girl. Within hours of us being told the offender was identified and arrested.” Dangerfield made admissions during his interviews and he was subsequently charged. He was jailed on October 16.