A MAN who groomed and manipulated a young boy through online gaming before sexually assaulting him has been jailed for four years.

Twenty-six-year-old Nathan Hastings, of Tatton Road, Crewe, was sentenced at Minshull Street crown court yesterday after being found guilty of grooming and two counts of sexually assaulting a child.

In 2014, when the victim was 11 years old, Hastings began regular online contact with him via Xbox Live after initially meeting him through a football event.

He continued to communicate with the boy and soon began travelling to Manchester on an almost daily basis to meet him. Using tactics of coercion, persistence and control, Hastings groomed the boy until he felt isolated from family and friends.

He then went on to sexually assault the young victim.

The court heard how Hastings had dominated the boy’s life for more than 16 months during a campaign of controlled abuse with a significant degree of planning.

Detective Constable Anna Barker of the GMP’s Phoenix Tameside CSE team said: “Nathan Hastings knew full well how old his victim was and that what he was doing was wrong, yet he continued his campaign of abuse without showing a shred of remorse.

“His abuse dominated the boy’s life, preventing him from enjoying his childhood and stopping him communicating with friends and family to the point where he became withdrawn. This had a massive impact on his life at a time when he was at a vulnerable age and still developing as a person.

“I would like to pay tribute to him for having the courage to come forward to report Hastings to police and for the bravery he has shown giving evidence during the trial. I hope this result has repaid the trust he placed in the authorities and provides him with some feeling of justice when coming to terms with what happened.

“Child sexual exploitation can take place in many forms. In this case a young boy was manipulated through online gaming whilst in his own home.

“I would advise all parents or guardians to take interest in the contact that young people have with others online and report any suspicious activity to police.”

See itsnotokay.co.uk for information for children, young people, parents, carers and professionals on how to spot the signs of child sexual exploitation and what to do about it.