had earned just £575 since the election.

Giving evidence in court, the girl insisted she told the defendant her real age and said it was Thorne who claimed to be 17.Thorne, who attended universities in Huddersfield and Hull, wore his army cadet uniform during one of his visits to see the girl, the court heard.

Prosecutor David Eager showed the court photographs of the girl, which he said had been taken around the period of the offences. He argued they clearly showed she was underage and not 17.Judge Hirst dismissed Thorne's claims on Friday at a Newton Hearing, which seeks to determine the facts of the case when there is conflicting evidence. Thorne was remanded into custody.Following the hearing, Det Con Victoria Oakes, of Lincolnshire Police, said she was "in awe of the victim".

She said: "The bravery and courage they have displayed over the last year has been truly incredible and I hope that this result offers some sense of closure."Thorne's actions are reprehensible and completely unacceptable in our society. His victim was clearly underage, and he knew that.

"Instead, he chose to plead ignorance and I am glad that the judge dismissed his claims and will sentence him for his crimes in due course."

East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) has declared its first ever critical incident after flooding hit the region.Some of Valerie’s photos were later featured on the cover of the band's hit single, Motorcycle Emptiness.

“They had a naivety and innocence but they were also super smart, and very literate – they had lots of intellectual references to books and art, and Richey was the same."He was just really lovely and really charming and cool, and really good fun to photograph.”

In a foreword at the beginning of the book, bandmate Nicky Wire said: “We thought these photos were lost but they are found."I’m so grateful to Valerie for those intense twenty months when she saw all the energy and ragged glory of Manic Street Preachers and more importantly, captured our little bit of history seen here in these vivid, beautiful photographs.