Christopher Gatley of Gorton Road, has been sentenced at Manchester Crown Square to 20 months in prison
A schoolgirl groomed by a man described as 'vermin' by police opened up about being abused after watching a Coronation Street storyline.
Christopher Gatley, 34, bombarded his victim with text messages, made a number of attempts to kiss her and inappropriately touched her in then summer of 2016.
The terrified youngster eventually found the courage to tell a teacher, friends and her mother after watching an abuse story line on Coronation Street and the BBC drama Three Girls.
Gatley, of Gorton Road, Reddish, was jailed for 20 months on Friday by Judge Suzanne Goddard QC, after pleading guilty to four counts of sexual activity with a child.
Manchester Crown Court heard that Gatley began taking an interest in the victim after meeting her.
Charlotte Crangle, prosecuting, described how Gatley managed to obtain the girl's phone number, and would regularly send her text messages, including one asking what she would do if he tried to kiss her.
Gatley told the victim to delete the messages or it would be 'game over'.
However, police were able to recover most of them.
The young victim has now spoken out to encourage anyone being abused to come forward.
The schoolgirl said: 'At first, I didn't really realise what was happening.
'I knew that it was wrong, but I didn't know in which sense.
'He told me not to tell anyone, he put it on my sibling's life not to tell anyone.
'Every time I saw him I feared he would know if I told someone. I would just be intimated of what he would do.
'I didn't owe him anything, but at the time, I thought I did. I know now that I didn't.
'I hate saying 'I know that it was wrong now', because I knew then that it was wrong, but I just didn't know what to do in that situation.
'Everyone thinks - even me - I thought that if that ever happened to me, I'd tell someone or fight them off but it's harder when it literally happens to you than what you would think.
'He just made me feel intimidated and scared every single day.
'Even now I walk around the streets fearing if I ever see him. I have nightmares all the time of the incident itself.
'I try not think about it but every single day it's with me. There's no getting away from it.
'I understand that everyone says it will get better. It probably will, but it will still be there forever.'
Ms Crangle told the court that the victim started to feel uncomfortable around the defendant, and tried to avoid being on her own with him as he would attempt to touch her bottom.
On one occasion he told her to come to his home, close her eyes and hold out her hands, and proceeded to kiss her.
On another occasion, when Gatley was visiting the girl's house, he put his hand down the back of her jeans.
He also offered the victim money for a new coat and to get her nails done.
The crown argued that this was a part of a grooming process, and intended to make sure she stayed silent.
The youngster was too frightened to say anything to anyone about what was happening to
