Preston man jailed for abducting teenager he met on Facebook

A man from Preston has been jailed for abducting a 13-year-old boy who he met on Facebook.

Published 10th Mar 2016

A man from Preston has been jailed for abducting a 13-year-old boy who he met on Facebook.

18-year-old Kirk Yates of Fishergate Hill pleaded guilty.

Yates met the boy in Skelmersdale several times before it happened last August.

He was jailed for two years and two months and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order yesterday.

DC Libby Wadsworth from Preston Police said: “Yates befriended and groomed a vulnerable young boy on Facebook.

“I am happy with the sentence handed out, which means that more young people are protected from people like Yates.

“We know the internet is now so widely used, especially by young people, but we have to make sure they stay safe.

“I urge parents to keep any eye on what their children are doing while on the internet and understand what websites they are using and who they are speaking to. It is important that both adults and children understand the risks.”