A man who dragged a schoolgirl into woodland before sexually assaulting her has been branded a "coward" for refusing to leave his cell to listen to the charges against him.
Dean Lockley, 30, targeted the teenager as she walked home from school along the Loop Line in Aintree, near Orrell Park, at around 4pm.
The dad-of-one tied and gagged his victim - using her school uniform - stripped her naked and molested her, then had the audacity to claim he was "sorry".
Lockley today said he was too ashamed to attend his sentencing, because he didn't want to listen to his horrific crimes laid bare.
He was meant to face justice yesterday but refused to leave his cell, after he was ordered to be produced at Liverpool Crown Court.
That meant his victim - in court with her mum - had to wait until today, when Lockley insisted on being sentenced in his absence.
After the ECHO shared the story on Facebook, many readers got in touch to make their feelings known about his no-show in court.
Barbara Daine said: "Why was he given a choice? He should have been dragged to court!"
Kevin Spaine branded Lockley a "horrible beast" adding he was "not so big to face the judge."
Dean M Cunningham posted: "[Lockley] Should've been dragged before the judge and forced to listen, in fact he should be made to listen to his crimes every single day, because that poor girl will never recover".
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And Christine Harkness Reilly noted the contrast in the courage shown by his victim compared to that of her attacker.
She said: "Disgusting beast. By contrast what a brave young girl the victim is."
Donna Smyth agreed calling Lockley's schoolgirl victim a "brave girl".
Gareth Roberts, prosecuting, said Lockley was from the Aintree area, where his victim was walking home along the abandoned railway track, close to Helsby Road, on September 21 last year.
She was with friends, but they separated and she continued on her own, before putting AirPods in her ears, to talk to pals and listen to music, because she was "scared".
Mr Roberts said as the child approached a bridge, during "a particularly lonely" stretch of the track, she became aware of a man behind her.
Lockley grabbed her, put a hand over her mouth and another around her neck, then pulled her by the hair into bushes near swampland and a disused brickworks.
Her belongings fell out of her school bag, she cut herself on branches and her shoes came off, before he pinned her down on a pillow in the clearing and shoved one of her socks in her mouth.
Mr Roberts said: "He told her that if she screamed he would kill her. He then threw her school bag into some bushes."
The court heard he sexually assaulted the girl, then told her to perform a sex act on him, and when she didn't understand what he meant, forced her to do it.
Mr Roberts said: "He then stopped, told her to get dressed and said he was sorry and that he wasn't usually like that. She, being a terrified teenage girl, told him that it was 'okay'.
"He told her if she screamed or told anyone he would kill her."
Lockley told her to wait for 20 minutes, then ran off.
When Lockley was eventually arrested and interviewed, he denied responsibility, but accepted being in the area and claimed he previously had sex in that spot with women.
However, the girl picked him out in an identity parade and Lockley, of no fixed address, admitted false imprisonment, sexual assault and causing a child to engage in sexual activity.
The girl is now scared to go out on her own or walk home from school and suffers from anxiety and panic attacks.
Lockley has no previous convictions for sexual offences, but a record including robberies and assault.
Nicola Daley, defending, said he suffered from schizophrenia, but had not been taking antipsychotic medication.
She said this was "because he was not dealing with the adoption of his daughter and the breakdown of a previous relationship well".
Ms Daley said: "He considered at that stage to potentially take his own life."
She said her client, who been living in a nearby hostel but also sleeping in the park, claimed not to remember the attack.
Judge Aubrey said he was satisfied that Lockley planned his attack, and that telling the girl he was "sorry" following the assault and asking if she was okay were "hollow words".
He said the victim statement showed the girl's "fortitude" and "courage".
Adding, despite Lockley's mental health issues, he didn't accept that he couldn't recall what he did.
Judge Aubrey said Lockley was a "dangerous" offender and jailed him for 12 years, with an extended five years on licence.
This means he will spend at least two thirds of the custodial term - eight years - behind bars.
He will only be released before the end of his sentence if a parole board considers he is no longer a risk.
Lockley must sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
