Stockport man who groomed and abused young girl online is jailed

A man who groomed a 12-year-old girl via an internet chatroom before abducting and sexually abusing her has been jailed.

Today at Stoke Crown Court Fuller was sentenced to four years after pleading guilty to abducting a child, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, two counts of making indecent images of a child and two counts of sexual activity with a child.

Fuller has also been issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years and has been forced to sign the sex offenders register for life.

In December 2017, Fuller targeted the girl, who was using an internet chatroom to talk about My Little Ponies, before beginning to converse with her on Facebook and via text messages.

He used a fake Facebook profile with a girl’s name so friends would not suspect anything.

The conversations came to the attention of a police force in the south west after a friend of the girl who saw the messages informed her school’s safeguarding officer.

Fuller was arrested in May 2018 and his phone confiscated, which was found to contain sexually explicit messages and images.

Despite his arrest, Fuller was unfazed and, after being released under investigation, arranged to meet the girl and took her to a hotel, where he sexually abused her.

Detective Sergeant Andrew Kindness from GMP’s Stockport Phoenix Team said: “Fuller took advantage of an impressionable young girl for his own perverted gratification.

“He manipulated her into engaging in sexual conversations and exchanging indecent images.

“When Fuller saw that the net was closing on him, he took the unfathomable decision to abduct the girl – luring her away from family before sexually abusing her.

“This was a shocking case and we are thankful that he is now behind bars.

“We hope that today’s sentencing gives the girl and her family some closure on their terrible ordeal and they can move forward with their lives.”

Help and advice

• If you or someone you know has been raped or sexually assaulted, we encourage you not to suffer in silence and report it to the police, or a support agency so you can get the help and support available.

• You can call Greater Manchester Police on 101, or alternatively people can refer themselves to St Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre on 0161 276 6515, whether or not you want make a police report.

• St Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Manchester provides a comprehensive and coordinated forensic, counselling and medical aftercare service to anyone in Greater Manchester who has experienced rape or sexual assault. Services are available on a 24-hour basis and people can access them via Greater Manchester Police, or as a self-referral.

• Manchester Rape Crisis is a confidential support service run by women for women and girls who have been raped or sexually abused. Confidential helpline: 0161 273 4500.

• Survivors Manchester offers support and counselling for adult male survivors of sexual abuse and rape, regardless of when the event happened. Contact 0161 236 2182