A DANGEROUS child sex offender has been jailed for raping one girl and sexually abusing another.

Patrick McCann, 74, carried out the attacks while he was in his 50s.

Preston Crown Court heard McCann, who now identifies as a woman called Laura, surrendered to police on May 18 this year, saying: “I have got something I want to get off my mind – I raped a child.”

Prosecuting, Amanda Johnson said McCann was at the 12-year-old child's home in Accrington when he asked her to have sex.

The victim said no but when she was going to sleep, McCann came into her room, climbed into bed and raped her.

The girl screamed for the attack to stop saying “I don’t like it” and “no, you’re hurting me get off.”

A victim personal statement, read by Ms Johnson said: “This happened a long time ago but I am worried of all men.

“All that has happened has affected my relationship with my partner. I get freaked out when I go out on my own.”

The second victim, another underage girl, recalled meeting McCann when she was aged 12 at a shop on Accrington Road in Blackburn. He began grooming her, offering her alcohol and cigarettes.

McCann took the girl to the pub before kissing her.

On another occasion, McCann took her to a pub in Accrington for cocktails and when they got back to his house, they had sex – with the victim recalling she was wearing her school uniform at the time.

The victim said that McCann called her over to give her a present, which was a gold ring, before telling her ‘I love you’.

The victim said that the pair had relations about five or six times before she stopped it and gave McCann the ring back.

Reflecting back, the victim said that she had ‘mixed emotions’ about the incident and that she wished she had never gone over and that she knew it was wrong but she went along with it.

In a police interview, McCann said the sex with the second victim was “out of this world” and when asked whether they had had full sex, said “bloody right I did”, and said they made the girl use birth protection.

Defending, Michael Lavery, said he believed the defendant would not be a danger on their release from prison and that they had reported the offences so McCann could ‘wipe the slate clean’.

Mr Lavery said: “She (McCann) brought this to the attention of the authorities. There has been no similar offending of this kind for 14 years.

“When she gets out, she will be over 80 years of age and won’t have committed offences for over 20 years.”

Sentencing McCann, Judge Robert Altham said despite the defendant’s wish to ‘wipe the slate clean’ and their lack of recent offending, McCann still posed a ‘significant ongoing danger’ to the public.

Judge Altham said: “Whilst the defendant has come forward and admits what she has done, she does not understand what she has done was wrong.”

Speaking about the first victim, Judge Altham said: “This all happened while the victim was making it clear she didn’t want it to happen.”

Discussing the second victim, he said: “She kissed the victim. The victim was shocked but did go back to his house.

“The defendant took her to the pub, got her cocktails and took her home to have sex with her.

“She believes she was wearing her school uniform at the time.”

McCann, of no fixed abode, had pleaded guilty to rape of a girl under 13 and six counts of sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 15.

McCann was jailed for 15 and a half years – 12 and a half years in custody with three years on licence.