Police have issued an image of a Co Tyrone man jailed for raping a nine-year-old girl among other offences five days after his sentence.
Jason Harkness (31), of Drum Road in Cookstown, was handed a 13-year sentence for 15 offences last Wednesday at Dungannon Crown Court, sitting in Belfast.
The sentence was also for offences including both sexually and physically assaulting his young victim, and possessing indecent images of children and extreme pornographic images.
The Irish News had requested an image of Harkness from the PSNI following his sentencing last week but it wa snot provided at that time.
The PSNI was approached again to explain the reason for the delay in releasing an image of him.
Harkness was arrested in March 2022 following an investigation that was launched the previous year when his victim became upset during a well-being lesson in school and made disclosures to a teacher.
During his trial, the young victim was called to give evidence, and said Harkness assaulted her and threatened her with further violence when she complained about the sexual abuse.
She said he gave her Roblox credits after abusing her.
During his sentencing, Judge Sherrard told him that despite his continued pleas of innocence he “clearly has a deviant sexual interest in children” and that he used the victim to fulfil his “deviant sexual needs”.
Harkness was also put on the Sex Offenders Register and will be the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order indefinitely.