A PAEDOPHILE’S victim was left terrified to leave home after her attacker walked free for a year. Now her family is seeking a change in the law.

When Derek Hartley, 40, was jailed for 15 months in February 2008 for sex offences against teenage girls, police said he ‘preyed on vulnerable young girls’ – but he was released on bail just months later.

Another of his victims, who had seen Hartley, of Kelsall Road, Cheadle, in the media for the sex offences he had committed, reported her own ordeal to the police in April 2008.

But Hartley was still released on bail six months after her accusations.

Only on Thursday – at his sentencing – was he put back behind bars, jailed for 13 years at Manchester Crown Court after pleading guilty to raping a child and three counts of indecent assault on a child.

He must now sign the sex offenders’ register for life.

The victim’s grandmother, who remains anonymous for legal reasons, said although police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) tried its hardest to keep Hartley jailed, its hands were tied.

She said: "We were with her all the time and she was frightened to go out.

"If he had been remanded we would have all felt a lot better.

"Even though he was monitored he was walking the streets.

"It made it so much worse for her – I don’t know how she would have felt if she had seen him. Because it was an archive case he couldn’t be held – and we would like to see that changed.

"I feel absolute hatred for this man – he is horrible. He showed no remorse in court. The family was left absolutely devastated but it has brought us closer together."

"The police and the CPS were absolutely fantastic and tried their best but were told they couldn’t remand him."

A CPS spokesman confirmed Hartley was released from prison on October 4, 2008 and charged three days later.

He added: "As part of the terms of his release, Hartley was placed under strict supervision and had to comply with a number of conditions.

"Because of the circumstances of this case, and taking into account that Hartley had neither breached any bail conditions, interfered with witnesses nor committed any further offences while on bail, police and the CPS agreed that there were not substantial grounds for opposing bail in accordance with the Bail Act 1976.

"Throughout the case he attended all hearings and there is no evidence that he interfered with any witnesses or committed any further offences."