Kevin Haigh, from Cleethorpes, grabbed the girl as she was walking on Kings Road near the town's sea front in June, putting tape across her mouth.

In a panic, the girl tried to use her phone to call for help, but the 53-year-old grabbed it off her.

The victim managed to flee safely, but was left "incredibly shaken" by what happened.

Picture issued by Humberside Police of Kevin Haigh

Haigh was jailed for 11 years at Grimsby Crown Court yesterday (Thursday) after pleading guilty in an earlier hearing to attempted kidnap to commit a sexual offence.

Inspector Rhod Troake, from Humberside Police's Major Crime Team, said: “Haigh carried out a vicious attack on an unsuspecting teenage girl, causing her to fear for her life purely for his own sexual gratification.

“I am reassured that he is now off our streets and unable to commit further offences of this nature.

“I can only begin to imagine the horror that the victim felt that day, and I hope that today’s sentencing brings her some sense of justice.

“Thankfully these types of incidents are incredibly rare, however I hope today’s sentencing serves as a warning to anyone considering committing an offence of this nature – if you do, we will do everything we can to put you behind bars.”

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Hefty prison sentence for sexual predator who tried to kidnap teenage girl by putting tape over her face