Birmingham Man Jailed For Raping 11 Year-Old Girl
1 May 2019, 06:06 | Updated: 1 May 2019, 06:11
A man who raped an 11-year-old girl over three decades ago when she was staying at his home with her friend has been jailed for 17 years.
The victim, who is now in her late 40's, came forward about what had happened to her two years ago.
Michael Collins, who is now aged 64, raped the child twice while his wife and newborn baby slept in another room at their home in Northfield. He then threatened the girl, telling her he owned a gun and that if she told anyone what he had done, she would be taken into care.
Detective Constable Louise Ford, from the Public Protection Central Complex Team, said: “This woman has spent years struggling to cope with what happened to her as a child, but finally found the confidence to report it to us. The length of time that has elapsed since she was raped made no difference to how seriously we treated her report. It was fully investigated, with the result that Collins is now finally having to face up to the consequences of inflicting terrible suffering on an innocent child.
“I hope this case will give other victims confidence to come forward and report abuse to us, knowing that we will take them seriously and thoroughly investigate their allegations.”
Michael Collins, of Springthorpe Green in Erdington, was found guilty of two counts of rape and sentenced to 17 years in prison. He has also been placed on the Sex Offender Register for life.
