Tameside man sentenced for grooming teenage girls via fake social media profiles
Scott Kirkham pretended to be a teenage boy to target vulnerable victims
A man from Tameside has been sentenced to 10 years in jail, with an additional three years on license, for grooming and sexually assaulting teenage girls using fake online profiles.
Scott Kirkham, 21-year-old (7th February 2002), of Hope Street, Audenshaw, was convicted at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court after pleading guilty to 30 offences, including sexual communication, causing children to watch sexual acts, and engaging in sexual activity with a child. He will remain on the sex offenders' register and has been issued with an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Kirkham’s crimes came to light through reports from Oxfordshire and south Wales, which tracked his IP address to Tameside in Greater Manchester.
According to investigators, Kirkham created numerous social media accounts, posing as ‘Jake Richardson,’ a fictitious 14-to-16-year-old teenager, using a fake photo to groom his victims.
Between March 2020 and April 2021, Kirkham targeted nine vulnerable victims aged 13 to 17. He met three of his victims, sometimes in the presence of their parents, in places such as Cumbria and Blackpool. One victim was sexually assaulted at Kirkham's home in Tameside.
Kirkham was charged with a total of 41 offences, later pleading guilty to 30. Among the offences were:
Sexual communication x6
Cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity x10
Cause a child to watch a sexual act x6
Engaging in sexual activity with a child x5
Malicious communication x2
Sexual assault on a female over 16
Detective Constable Angela Pavitt from the Tameside Complex Safeguarding Team led the investigation alongside police forces across the country. She said the team tied reports from Oxfordshire and south Wales to Kirkham through IP tracking and further links to his devices.
“Kirkham targeted vulnerable girls, some who were self-harming or in care, pretending to be ‘Jake Richardson,’” DC Pavitt said.
“The victims turned to him for help and support – often he would mock them and encourage them to self-harm."
DC Pavitt said Kirkham’s actions were calculated and predatory, and she praised the victims for their bravery in coming forward.
Detective Chief Inspector Anna Barker, GMP's Vulnerability Lead in Tameside, also commented on the work of the Complex Safeguarding Team, emphasising their multi-agency approach:
“At the heart of the team’s mission is a commitment to safeguarding through prevention, education, and enforcement. Police officers embedded within the team engage directly with children and families, attend multi-agency meetings for decision-making, and lead investigations into exploitation offences,” DCI Barker said.
Kirkham was arrested in April 2021 and had been on remand since December 2024 while awaiting trial.
Anyone who has concerns about exploitation or abuse is being urged to report it to the authorities.