A man has today been jailed for nearly seven years for having underage sex with a teenage girl in Ipswich.

Geoffrey Harris was living in Ipswich when he was arrested in June and charged with five offences relating to the girl between 2005 and 2008.

The 53-year-old unemployed man of no fixed address, but originally from Stevenage in Hertfordshire, pleaded guilty to the charges at Ipswich Crown Court in August and was remanded in custody prior to his appearance at the same court.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Sergeant Darren Bruce, said: “The girl involved in this sexual abuse has been honest and very courageous during this difficult and lengthy investigation. We have had to conduct an extremely intrusive examination of her life in order to demonstrate that the evidence against Geoffrey Harris was undisputable.

“She has had outstanding support from her family and friends who have not only had to support their loved one, but also to deal with the ordeal of knowing their child has been subjected to this awful offence.”

Harris, who was sentenced to six years and nine months’ imprisonment, was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and a previously-issued Sex Offences Prevention Order from an earlier conviction remains in place.