AN ARCHERY club chairman has been sent to prison for nine years after being found guilty of three counts of sex offences against a 13-year-old girl.

Christopher Vincent-Northam, 63, was sentenced on October 1 at Hereford Crown Court after being found guilty by a jury in August of attempted rape and two counts of sexual activity with a child.

The Lugg Valley Company of Archers chairman carried out the offences in January 2014 in his car and in the village hall off Dinmore Hill.

Sentencing him, Judge Toby Hooper QC said Vincent-Northam “manipulated circumstances” to get the girl alone and the girl was “vulnerable” due to personal circumstances.

He said: “There was obviously serious planning, perhaps better described as grooming, over a period of six to eight months”.

On his LinkedIn account, Vincent-Northam said he worked for nine years as a support services officer with the planning department at Herefordshire Council until 2013.

Ben Close, defending, said Vincent-Northam had been married for 22 years and had provided a stable home for their 20-year-old son.

He said he has no previous convictions of a similar nature but had suffered from bouts of depression.

Vincent-Northam, who was from Whitney-on-Wye, was given nine years in prison for attempted rape.

He was also given six months in prison for sexual activity with a child and five years in prison for another count of sexual activity with a child – which will run concurrently.

Vincent-Northam was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order. This states he must not live in the same household with anyone under 18, unless given permission by social services; must not have unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18 unless inadvertently or with the permission of their parent or guardian; and must have no contact with the victim. This order will run until a further order is made.

He has been placed on the sex offenders register for life.