A South Shields man has been jailed for grooming and then sexually assaulting an underage girl.

Thomas Sweeney, of Prince Edward Road, South Shields, was sentenced to 19 months behind bars for the sexual assault of a girl.

Mr Sweeney, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault and meeting a child following sexual grooming at Newcastle Crown Court on Monday, January 13.

He was given a 19-month prison sentence by the judge on Monday, March 16.

placeholder image — Thomas Sweeney. | Other 3rd Party

Northumbria Police have now encouraged other victims to come forward and say officers are “committed” to preventing incidents such as this from taking place and ensuring offenders are brought to justice.

A spokesperson for the force said: “We are committed to doing everything we can to give further confidence to young people to report incidents like this and to prevent them from becoming victims in the first place.

“We have a dedicated safeguarding department with specialist officers who not only provide support to victims, but pursue offenders and make sure they are brought to justice. If you have been a victim of abuse, you can report it by calling 101, or using the Tell us Something Page on our website.”