Description
I have panic attacks in public as I feel like I am being followed by my abuser. I feel like he wont let me move on"
A rapist who groomed a 15-year-old girl, took her to the cinema and attacked her in a hotel has been jailed for over nine years.
Jordan Lanzon, 26, befriended the girl on social media after making numerous accounts to contact her.
He claimed he was 17 when he was actually 23.
The pair met in November 2019 in Manchester city centre where they went to the cinema.
The following month they met again and Lanzon told the teen that he had booked them a hotel room to escape the cold.
It was there that he raped her, a court previously heard.
They continued to communicate, with Lanzon repeatedly booking hotel rooms for them and inviting her to join him.
She reported feeling scared and forced into having sex with him on multiple occasions.
He also asked her to perform sexual acts over video calls and via texts, it was said.
Following a trial in January this year, Lanzon, of Whalley Range, was found guilty of offences of rape, and had earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child, and causing/inciting a child to engage in sexual activity as well as an unrelated assault.
Today (March 4) he was jailed for nine-and-a-half years at Minshull Street Crown Court.
In an emotional victim personal statement, the girl said: I was so scared when I started to talk about what happened to me. I self harmed to release my emotions and I struggled to sleep.
I sleep with my light on and my door open. Im worried he will come and get me.
I have panic attacks in public as I feel like I am being followed by my abuser.
Since I have spoken out, he has attempted to contact me on social media. I feel like he wont let me move on.
My family has supported me throughout the trial, but I feel guilty when they feel sad or worried about me.
I should be enjoying my life, college and my friends. I want the court to know just how much life has changed for me and my family.
I dont feel safe as a direct result of the harm this man has caused me.
In a further statement she said she has nightmares, has struggled eating and sleeping and cant imagine leaving her parents' side as thats the only place she feels safe.
I have gone from a happy, normal girl to speaking to the police and going to court, she said.
Her mother said in a statement: I have never suffered from depression or anxiety, but since this my anxiety has been high, there have been sleepless nights and I have felt distressed.
I have had to watch my daughter go through the court process and have been there to support her, but it has been difficult. I hate seeing her upset.
She has changed since this happened.
The court heard Lanzon had exploited and groomed the girl, and she was vulnerable as he had taken her to a hotel room to isolate her where she was unable to call for help.
The incident was reported to police in April 2020 and Lanzon was arrested. During his police interview he denied knowing the victim.
However, further evidence from his mobile phone confirmed the pair's relationship and he later admitted to being in contact with her.
Separate offence
The court heard of a separate incident in which Lanzon had gone round to a couples home in June 2018, wherein he asked them for a cigarette.
They refused and he barged his way into their home before attacking the couple with a knife which he produced from the waistband of his jogging bottoms.
The male victim was left with a one inch cut to his eyelid with required suturing.
Lanzon was said to have four previous convictions for four offences.
He maintains his position which he had through the trial, that this was a consensual sexual relationship - albeit with a child under the age of consent, Rachel Shenton, defending, said.
He was taking prescription drugs and cannabis - he was leading a lifestyle that didnt give him any credit for his own problems.
Lanzon, of Stanley Road, Whalley Range, was jailed for nine and a half years.
"He left the victim feeling intimated and scared on multiple occasions"
Detective Constable Hannah Rudd said: "Lanzon is a sexual predator that used a vulnerable young woman to satisfy his own sexual desires.
"He left the victim feeling intimated and scared on multiple occasions and forced her into performing sexual acts over the phone and in person.
"Sadly, we can't take away the impact that Lanzon's actions will have on the victim and her family's life. However, I want to thank the victim and her family for their unwavering cooperation and I hope that today's sentence acts as some form of justice and help bring some form of closure.
"This kind of offending and abuse is horrendous and I hope today's sentence also sends a stark warning to those who feel that they can commit these offences - from in person or behind a computer screen - that we will do all in our power to seek prosecution.
"I would encourage anyone affected by this case to contact police, or our partners, to report any abuse or exploitation so that the relevant authorities can act on it."
Councillor Garry Bridges, Executive Member for Children's Services for Manchester City Council, said: "This was a sickening crime and our hearts go out to the young woman, a child at the time of the offence, who was attacked. We have supported her throughout this process and will continue to do so.
"This conviction is an illustration of how Greater Manchester Police and the Council are working closely together to identify and tackle child sexual exploitation and bring perpetrators to justice."