Michael Yardley, a 35-year-old former police community support officer (PCSO) with the Lincolnshire Police's Sleaford neighbourhood policing team, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the rape of a 12-year-old girl and four counts of sexual activity with a child. The offences occurred between October 2010 and April 2011, during which Yardley, residing on Haconby Lane in Morton, Lincolnshire, befriended the victim's family and gained their trust, allowing him unsupervised access to the young girl.
According to details presented at Lincoln Crown Court, Yardley admitted to having sexual intercourse with the girl approximately five times, both in his car and in the house he shared with his then-wife. The prosecution, led by Andrew Scott, outlined how the relationship began innocently but quickly escalated to sexual encounters. The girl's parents had initially trusted Yardley due to his role in the community policing team, permitting him to spend time with their daughter. However, Yardley's actions breached this trust profoundly, as he progressed from playful interactions to sexual exploitation.
Yardley's wife grew suspicious of his behaviour and one day discovered him in an intimate position with the girl on their sofa, with his arm around her shoulder and stroking her neck. Despite Yardley not being naturally tactile, his wife reported the incident to her line manager at work, who promptly notified the police. Yardley was interviewed by Lincolnshire Police in April 2011 and again in August 2011, during which he confessed to the sexual encounters. He claimed the girl had developed a crush on him and initiated the contact, but the court recognised that her young age made consent impossible and highlighted Yardley's failure to stop the abuse.
Recorder John Philpotts, delivering the sentence, emphasised the gravity of the offences, stating: "Your offending has devastated the victim's family. The long term psychological and emotional effects on the victim can only be guessed, but I've no doubt that they will be serious and substantial." The judge noted the significant age difference, the victim's vulnerability, and Yardley's position of trust, adding: "These offences are extremely grave because of the age of the victim, and she was a victim, and the difference in age of you and your victim, and the fact that you were in a position of trust to her. You used the fact that her parents trusted you to take care of their child."
In addition to the 10-year custodial sentence for rape, Yardley received three-year concurrent sentences for each of the four sexual activity charges. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for life and subjected to a sex offender prevention order. Detective Inspector Guy Leach of Lincolnshire Police described Yardley as "a very dangerous person to young girls," stating: "In this case, he has taken advantage and abused the trust of friends and a young girl. As a consequence of his conduct, the childhood and adolescence of this young girl has been stolen." Leach further noted that upon release, Yardley would be managed by the Dangerous Persons Management Unit to prevent future abuses. The case, reported by The Independent, underscores the betrayal of public trust by a former law enforcement officer.