‘Shameful behavior’ from supporters in court as pedophile found guilty

She then tried to have sex with the teenager and only relented when the teenager told her she was on her period. But the pervert then raped her, saying he “had no choice”.

The victim eventually “confessed to his family” in 2022. Brannan was arrested three days later, but “denied all allegations” when interviewed by police.

In his statement read to the court on his behalf, the complainant said: “I am not the same person anymore. What happened to me forced me to grow up.

“I was a kid who should have been able to do what kids do. Instead, I had to try to understand what happened to me. My childhood was taken away from me. I know I’m not the same.

“I just wanted to die. One day, keeping all this inside was too much for me. I finally found the courage to tell my family what happened to me.

“There were times when I didn’t even want to survive because of what they did to me. I was sitting in a room with my whole family and I couldn’t actually be there. I was thinking how could he do this? I wanted to scream out loud at a child, but I couldn’t.”

Brannan had four previous convictions, but none for sexual offences. Sarah Holt, defending, told the court: “This is a difficult mitigation exercise. “The defendant is determined to maintain his innocence.

“His three teenage sons are too young at the moment to understand anything other than the fact that their father has effectively disappeared from their lives. He was his mother’s official caregiver.

“This was someone who had been with his long-term partner and what could be described as childhood sweethearts. He was a very involved and active father in the lives of these three boys.”

After the trial, Brannan was found guilty by a jury of two counts of rape and nine counts of sexual assault. Ms Holt acknowledged the “disgraceful behaviour” of family members in the public gallery after the verdict was handed down last month, but said it was “not provoked by her” and that her client instead “sat in shock with his head in his hands”. “.

These supporters were told not to return to court for sentencing as a result. Brannan’s lawyer added: “This was not something he wanted. This only managed to make an already very difficult situation worse. This had nothing to do with him.”

Brannan, who attended HMP Liverpool via video link today wearing a dark green Montirex shirt, was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Sentencing, Judge Gary Woodhall said: “You told him repeatedly not to tell anyone. You said it was your secret.

“He explained how this resentment deprived him of his childhood, how you silenced him with fear. He feels unable to talk about what happened to him. He has uncontrollable anger. He experiences extreme anxiety and panic attacks.

“There appears to be no other possible explanation for your behavior other than sexual gratification. You are said to have a complete lack of victim empathy. You continue to deny the crimes and label your victim as a liar.”

Brannan will need to serve two-thirds of that sentence before being eligible for release. He was also told to sign the sex offenders register for life, as well as a sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order, both of which will apply indefinitely.

Merseyside Police Detective Inspector Carla Cross said after the hearing: “I want to pay tribute to the victim’s bravery and bravery in reporting the offenses to us. I hope this sentence shows that time is no barrier to reporting sexual offenses and that we take every report extremely seriously.”

“Brannan is clearly a predator who has been targeting his victim for several years. He has also denied the charges, forcing her to submit to a trial and relive the trauma. I sincerely hope that today’s sentence will bring her some relief now that justice has been served.”

Constable Tasmin Windle added: “Merseyside Police is fully committed to protecting children from sexual exploitation and those who wish to harm them. “We have specialist officers who investigate this type of crime and provide full support to victims and their families.

“If you have experienced any form of sexual abuse or know that a child has been abused, please come forward and report it to the police. We take such reports extremely seriously and if you can find the courage to come forward and speak to us, our specialist officers will treat you with sensitivity and compassion.”