'Cruel' child molester and domestic abuser jailed

A "cruel" and cowardly child molester who also domestically abused his partner and stalked her after she left him has been jailed for 11 years.

Mark Harvey, 42, sexually abused two girls and regularly attacked and threatened his partner during the couple's 16-year relationship, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

After she broke up with him when his child sex offences came to light in 2023, he sent her a phone and tablet fitted with apps to monitor her movements and posted letters to her from prison, the court heard.

Harvey, from Kielder in Northumberland, admitted 11 offences including sexual activity with a child under the age of 13, stalking and using controlling or coercive behaviour.

Originally from Blackpool, Harvey met his partner online in about 2007 and moved in with her on Tyneside soon afterwards, prosecutor Vincent Ward said.

He would regularly hit her on parts of her body where bruises could not be seen and frequently verbally abused and threatened her, the court heard, saying he would "fight her to the death" and "chop her up".

He also accused her of cheating on him while he slept with other women, made her change the clothes and makeup she wore and isolated her from friends and family, the prosecutor said.

The court heard Harvey also used violence against children and kicked and hit the family's dogs.

After she broke up with him for good in July 2023, Harvey embarked on a stalking campaign which included sending her a mobile phone fitted with a tracking app and tablet with a CCTV app installed, sent unwanted gifts and logged into her social media, the court heard.

He also sent her letters from prison, posting them under another inmate's name to get around the institution's security, the prosecutor said.

In a statement read to the court, Harvey's ex-partner said he had ruined her life and the abuse was all she had known for 16 years.

She said she still lived in fear of him after he was able to contact her from prison and did not think she would ever be able to rebuild her life.

One of the girls he molested said he was "cruel" and she had suffered repeated flashbacks and panic attacks because of his actions.

Harvey had previous offences for benefit fraud in 2012, the court heard.

Judge Thomas Moran said Harvey had "uncontrollable" sexual urges towards children and was "opportunistic and cruel".

He said it was quite clear Harvey's partner had been "very badly affected" by the years of abuse while one of the child sex offence victims had endured "severe psychological harm".

Harvey had initially denied many of the offences and absconded before being arrested in Manchester in February 2025, the court heard.

He then entered guilty pleas on the second day of his trial.

Judge Moran told Harvey: "You lack the courage to accept what you did."

The judge said Harvey had also sought to discredit and blame his "courageous" victims and his denial of having a sexual interest in children was "plainly a lie".

The court heard Harvey had been assessed as posing a high risk of serious harm to children and partners.

Having been deemed a dangerous offender, Harvey will have to serve a further four years on extended licence.

He will also have to sign the sex offenders register for life and comply with a sexual harm prevention order for 20 years.

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