Joshua Gray 23

Description

A man who travelled to Bedfordshire to sexually exploit a child has been jailed for more than 13 years.

Joshua Gray, 23, groomed the victim on TikTok before moving their conversations to online platform Discord, where he sent numerous sexually explicit messages over four days.

He then travelled from London to a village near Bedford and persuaded the girl to meet him in a local park late at night, before raping and sexually assaulting her.

Officers found the victim at the park after she was reported missing, and swiftly located and arrested Gray.

On Friday (2 October) at Luton Crown Court, Gray, of Ellanby Crescent, London, was sentenced to 13 years and six months after pleading guilty to several offences, including rape, sexual assault, sexual communication with a child and intentional strangulation.

He was also handed a 20-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order until further notice.

Detective Constable Lauren Byrne from Bedfordshire Police’s Protecting Vulnerable People team, who investigated, said:

“Gray deliberately targeted a vulnerable young girl online and manipulated her into meeting him before abusing her in the worst possible way.

“I would like to commend the bravery of the victim in supporting this investigation. I hope this sentence demonstrates that we will do everything possible to bring offenders who exploit and abuse children to justice.

“Please remember it’s never too late to report. By doing so you could help us put these dangerous perpetrators in prison, while potentially protecting further victims.”