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A man who raped a young girl he befriended online has been 'rightfully put behind bars'.

William Preece and the child started speaking in 2021, and exchanged 'lots' of messages.

They also met up in Staffordshire on several occasions, which is where the 36-year-old committed the offences.

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Preece, of Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, answered 'no comment' to everything when police brought him in for questioning.

However due to 'strong evidence', Staffordshire Police were able to charge him with two counts of rape of a girl and one count of sexual assault of a girl.

Preece pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to 17 years behind bars at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court today (Mon

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