Nuneaton man sentenced to 9 years for sexual activity with a child

John Russell, 50 of Salisbury Drive, Nuneaton, has also been given a sexual harm prevention order for life and is required to pay a surcharge of £181 towards victim services. 

In December 2019, police received a call from a concerned person reporting that the victim had disclosed that she had been groomed by an older man.

Russell had started chatting to the young girl over a popular online chat and forum app, where they made plans to meet up. He communicated with the victim using the username “Rogonad”.

The victim was under the age of 16 at the time.

On 17 October, John Russell was sentenced on five counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child, with taking indecent photographs of a child, and with distributing indecent photographs of a child.

Detective Sergeant Paul Vines of the Child Abuse Trafficking and Exploitation (CATE) team said “John Russell deliberately groomed and took advantage of a child he met online for the purposes of sexual exploitation.

“He was able to do so under-the-radar through online forums and messenger apps, and if it hadn’t been for the victim’s family, Russell may have been able to continue the pattern of abuse.

“Russell now has 9 years to ruminate over what he has done, and he will be monitored for a lifetime to prevent this from happening again.

“If you are concerned about a child you know being groomed by an adult, please don’t hesitate to report it to us.”