16-year-old from Southend issued 'emergency Sexual Risk Order'
The boy used social media to form relationships with girls as young as 12 across Essex and engage in sexual activity
Essex Police's Sexual Exploitation proactive team have secured a Sexual Risk Order against a 16-year-old from Southend who has been flagged as a potential perpetrator of sexual abuse.
Sgt Ben Rushmere said “This boy proved on multiple occasions that he could not comply with bail conditions and continued to show a lack of regard for his actions.
“He used social media platforms including Snapchat to form relationships with girls as young as 12 across Essex and engage in sexual activity.
“The team were unable to seek a charge at this stage so we looked at other ways we could ensure this boy couldn’t come into contact with young girls whilst the investigation continues. An emergency interim Sexual Risk Order was approved by the courts meaning he cannot be unsupervised with anyone under the age of 18.
“He also cannot own an iphone or download any social media platform without informing the police first.
“He will also be regularly monitored to ensure he is complying with these conditions.”
The police say this case isn’t an isolated occurrence across Essex. "The CSE Proactive Team are committed to safeguarding vulnerable children in the county. The CSE Proactive team have managed 226 investigations since the beginning of 2022 and almost 40% of these have resulted in a positive outcome.".
Sgt Rushmere added “We appreciate that parents and guardians may be concerned about who their children are talking to online. Snapchat does have a ghost mode function, allowing adults to monitor messages and photo which are sent on the platform.
Essex Safeguarding Children’s Board website has information for parents and guardians who may want information on online safety: Home (escb.co.uk)