'Devious and manipulative' Wigan man jailed for child abduction and sex offences

Martin Yankey, 37 of Belmont Road, Wigan, was found guilty of one count of child abduction, two counts of sexual activity with a child, one count of possessing an indecent image of a child and one count of supplying Class A drugs.

Yankey was also charged with one count of rape involving the same victim, which will remain on file.

The offences from 2018, relate to a girl who was just 15-years-old at the time and living between care and foster homes.

The court heard how Yankey picked the victim up in his car on numerous occasions, taking her back to his home where he plied her with alcohol and cocaine.

Following a missing person report being filed, officers attended Yankey's address and showed him a photo of the victim explaining that she was missing, he denied all knowledge of knowing who she was.

Due to further instances of the victim going missing, she was moved to another foster home away from the area.

However, within 10 minutes of the girl arriving at her new home, Yankey proceeded to pick her up again and take her back to his home address in Wigan.

On May 19, 2019, officers attended this address and found the victim hiding in the kitchen. Yankey was subsequently arrested on suspicion of child abduction.

In the victim's statement she revealed that she had been in a relationship with Yankey and that he had engaged in sexual activity with her on numerous occasions while knowing her age.

Yankey's phone was seized by police upon arrest and on inspection of the phone, an indecent image of the victim was found.

Yankey pleaded guilty to the charges when he appeared at Wigan Crown Court on May 10, 2021.

Detective Inspector Neil Lawless, of GMPs Wigan Division, said: "I hope this sentence brings some closure for the victim and I would like to thank her for her bravery in coming forward.

"Yankey groomed and manipulated a vulnerable young girl and I hope his time in prison is spent reflecting upon his disgraceful behaviour.

"We will always take reports of this kind of crime extremely seriously and we’d encourage anyone who feels they have been the victim of such offences to get in touch with police.

"I would also like to thank PC Vicki Flemming and DC Rachel Forsythe who have both worked tirelessly to bring this case to court."

Greater Manchester Victims' Services provide emotional and practical support to anyone affected by crime and are a confidential service.

The service can be contacted by visiting the website on www.gmvictims.org.uk or calling 0161 200 1950.