A nursery worker has been jailed for 12-and-a-half years after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a young child in his care.
James Riley, of Widdrington Road, Coventry, was convicted at Warwick Crown Court, having already pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images of children at a previous hearing.
Riley, who worked at a nursery in Coventry, was arrested in August 2017 after the victim informed their parents, who contacted police.
In interview, Riley initially denied all of the allegations but his electronic devices were seized, uncovering around 200 indecent images of children.
Riley denied he had a specific sexual interest in children, instead claiming he viewed this material because he liked to imagine himself as the abused child in the photos.
Detective Constable Clare Thorley, of West Midlands Police’s Public Protection Unit, said: “At no point did Riley show remorse for what he had done to this child.
“His only concern was himself and the result of being caught with the indecent images of children.
“Anyone who downloads photographs of the abuse of children creates a market for those photographs which leads to other children being abused.”
Commenting on the case, CPS spokeswoman Rhiannon Jones said: “Throughout the prosecution process the defendant denied the allegations put to him but due to the compelling evidence from the victim in this case, he has now been brought to justice.”