Man who sexually abused two young girls given 26 years jail at Sheffield Crown Court

Terry Gibbons, aged 44, pleaded guilty to the offences including rape and sexual activity with a child.

Detective Constable Jo Chambers, the officer in charge of the investigation, said: “Gibbons groomed, coerced, threatened and persistently sexually assaulted and raped the two girls, who were both under the age of 16.

“Despite pleading guilty, Gibbons remains in denial about the vile crimes he committed.

“He is an extremely dangerous man and I am pleased that he is behind bars where he can’t hurt anyone else.

“I would like to praise the victims for the bravery they have shown in coming forward and talking to us about what happened. They have both shown immense courage and I hope that knowing Gibbons will be behind bars for a very long time goes some way towards helping them move forward with their lives.”

Gibbons, of Kingsway, Thurnscoe, Barnsley, will be placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order upon his release. He was sentenced to a total of 20 years for his crimes which was then extended by the judge for a further six years.

DC Chambers added: “South Yorkshire Police are committed to bringing the perpetrators of child sexual abuse before the courts and will always listen to victims who come forward to report such abuse.

“This sentence hopefully sends out a clear message that sexual abuse of any kind will not be tolerated and we will do everything we can to ensure these offenders are brought to justice so they cannot cause harm to anyone else.”