March 2018 Blackpool Child rapist caged for 14 years A man has been jailed for 14 years after admitting child rape. Owen Burns, 65, of Dalegarth Road, Blackpool, pleaded guilty at Preston Crown Court. The court heard that Burns had systematically abused his victim over a number of years between 2010 and 2015, starting when the boy was just 10 years old. The boy and his family were left devastated by Burns’ depravity. He admitted charges of rape of a child under 13; causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and sexual assault on a child under 13. Detective Constable Jon Hope-Ross, of Blackpool CID, said: “Owen Burns has systematically abused his young victim over a number of years, abuse which has devastated the life of this boy and his family. “He has had his childhood stolen from him. “Nothing can repair the damage Burns has done to this victim and his family but I hope at least that his guilty pleas and this significant sentence will at least offer them some comfort.”