Fife man Steven Hanlon who raped girl aged 8 is jailed
A man who subjected a schoolgirl to repeated rape ordeals has been jailed for eight years.
Steven Hanlon, 37, raped the girl when she was aged eight and nine before she revealed the abuse to a woman.
Hanlon, from Kelty in Fife, had warned the girl that if she told anyone about what was happening, he would be sent to prison.
Hanlon earlier admitted sexually assaulting and raping her between July 2014 and August 2015.
A judge told him at the High Court in Edinburgh: "It seems clear that you used this young girl as a sexual object for your own gratification."
Lord Boyd of Duncansby said: "As can be imagined the victim suffered pain during the abuse."
The judge said Hanlon had been assessed as posing a medium risk, but added: "The fact is you have committed a very serious sexual offence against a young girl."
He ordered that the sex offender be kept under supervision for a further three years.
Lord Boyd said he had taken into account that Hanlon had pled guilty and spared the victim the further ordeal of giving evidence.
The judge told him that if he had been convicted after trial he would have sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment.
Hanlon, who had worked as a warehouse operative with Amazon, was placed on the sex offenders' register.
Defence solicitor advocate Graeme Brown said Hanlon had been abusing alcohol at the time of the crime. He added: "He feels significant remorse for the offence."