Christopher Aherne, a 47-year-old from Cheshire, has been sentenced to 19 years and six months in prison for sexually abusing a teenager over a two-year period. His crimes were uncovered after staff at Tenpin Cheshire Oaks bowling alley in Ellesmere Port spotted him acting inappropriately with a child.

The abuse began when Aherne's victim was just 14 years old. Cheshire Police were alerted to his inappropriate behavior at the bowling alley but Aherne had left the premises by the time officers arrived. However, through subsequent investigation, he was identified as the suspect and police were able to locate the victim.

After interviewing the victim, authorities uncovered the full extent of Aherne’s abuse. He was arrested at his garage in Runcorn, where officers seized his mobile phone, discovering several inappropriate images as well as messages sent to the victim requesting personal photographs.

Aherne faced multiple charges including two counts of rape, 13 counts of sexual activity with a child, five counts of making indecent images, possession of indecent images, and supplying class A drugs. He pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced on January 9.

In addition to his prison sentence, Aherne was ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life. Detective Constable Christopher Tyrer, who led the investigation, praised the bravery of the victim, stating that while Aherne admitted his guilt, he showed no remorse for his actions.

DC Tyrer expressed hope that the significant sentence would help the victim find closure and encouraged other victims of sexual offences to come forward, assuring that their allegations would be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly. He emphasized that victims deserve support and should not feel ashamed to speak out, as their anonymity will be protected.