Description
A paedophile who preyed on a child in Hereford and Leeds has been sentenced to eight years and six months in prison.
Samuel Sutcliffe, 29, of Rothwell, Leeds, was convicted at Worcester Crown Court on Friday (25 September) of the following offences: -
- Two counts of penetrative sexual activity with a child aged 13 to 15
- One count of non-penetrative sexual activity with a child aged 13 to 15
- Two counts of causing/inciting non-penetrative sexual activity with a child aged 13 to 15
- Two counts of taking an indecent photo or pseudo photo of a child
Sutcliffe was sentenced to a total of eight years and six months in prison, ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years, made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for ten years and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £190.
He began contacting his victim in 2021 via an online gaming platform before adding him as a friend on Facebook and then progressing the conversation on to a WhatsApp chat using pseudonyms.
Sutcliffe (pictured) began sending her indecent images of himself and put pressure on her to meet him which she did. He then made her perform sexual acts on him, which he also did to the victim, that eventually led to sexual intercourse on several occasions.
Alarm bells were raised by the victim’s carers after she went missing to meet Sutcliffe and police were alerted. He was subsequently arrested by South Yorkshire Police in Leeds.
Detective Constable Lia Williams of Hereford CID said:
“We are pleased to get this custodial term for Sutcliffe, who preyed on a vulnerable teenage girl for his own perverted gratification.
“We hope this shows we take reports of child sexual exploitation seriously and will always act when such incidents are reported to us.
“This case also highlights the need for responsible adults to monitor their children’s online activities and report any concerns to us if they feel something is not right or they may be being exploited.”