A former Isle of Man TT rider has been jailed for 18 years after raping a young girl in England.

Connor Behan appeared at Cheshire Crown Court for sentencing on Friday after he convicted of a string of sexual offences in December following a seven-day trial.

On Wednesday, December 18, Behan was unanimously found guilty of multiple counts of raping a girl under the age 13, multiple sexual assaults by touching of a child under the age of 13, and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child on multiple occasions.

He was found not guilty of an additional count of sexual assault by touching of a child under 13.

Behan, 33, of Heath Avenue, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, competed in the TT and Manx Grand Prix in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

His best result was second place in the Newcomers race in 2013. He managed to finish 9th in the lightweight TT in both years while he also competed in the Supersport races.

In 2014 he was also crowned Irish Supertwins Road Race Champion and, at that stage, he was seen as one of the brightest young talents in road racing.

But he had not been back for almost 10 years and his life seems to have unravelled since, prompted by the death of his father.

Cheshire Police launched an investigation into the abuse in October 2022, following a disclosure made by the victim to a teacher at her school.

The jury heard how Behan had sexually assaulted the victim on multiple occasions, starting in May 2019, when the victim was only seven years old.

As part of the investigation, a seminal detection dog was deployed which found traces of Behan’s semen on a blanket owned by the victim. Behan was immediately arrested and subsequently charged.

Following the verdict, DS Scott Graves said: ‘Firstly, I would like to commend the victim who is now just 10 years old, for her bravery and courage shown throughout this investigation and trial. Sadly there are no winners in this case, however I truly hope this result will provide her closure.

‘Behan sexually abused his victim for a sustained period of time – he showed no remorse, denying everything throughout the investigation.

‘Thankfully, the jury were able to see through his lies, and he will finally be held accountable for what he’s done.

‘I hope this result will allow the victim to eventually move on with her life, now that Behan will be unable to hurt her ever again.’

During sentencing, Judge Michael Leeming said Behan had not taken any responsibility for his actions.

He told Behan: ‘You accept no responsibility for your actions and you continue to deny them but I cannot accept it.

‘You have no awareness, you have no empathy, and there is an element of victim-blaming throughout your pre-sentence report.’