A paedophile who attempted to rape a young child who said he had done “dirty things to her” has been jailed.

Martin Cherry coerced a minor into various sexual activities taking place over the space of a year.

The 42-year-old, of Edinburgh Road, Chatham, was arrested in December after the victim told her mother.

Cherry was charged with six counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child under 13, two counts of engaging in sexual activity in front of a child, and one count of attempted rape of a child.

In February he pleaded guilty to all the charges.

He was jailed for 17-and-a-half-years at Maidstone Crown Court on Tuesday (November 7).

In a previous interview read out by his counsel, Cherry explained he had no “clue why he committed these (offences), his life was a normal life,” adding “everything was fine when something in his head said to touch her”.

Judge Oliver Saxby KC said Cherry was “destructive of both his own life and the victim’s” as he sentenced him.

He told the court: “Lives have been irretrievably wrecked from his actions.

“Due to the length of time, it was perpetrated, and the age of the child, psychological harm, at least very close to severe, would have been caused by the offending.

“I have no doubt if she had not spoken to her mother, you would’ve carried on.”

In total, Cherry was handed a 13-and-a-half-year sentence with an additional four years on licence. He will be eligible for parole after serving two thirds.

He was also given a sexual prevention harm order and has been listed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.