Locations
Everton Street, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3
Description
A "dangerous" sex offender from Darwen who was found with two teenage girls in his hotel room has been jailed.
Colin Smith, of Everton Street, was arrested in 2020 when he returned to a hotel room in Bury.
Smith was putting up two teenage girls who had been reported missing at the time, and on his return to the hotel, found Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers waiting for him.
Appearing at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on Tuesday, Smith, 59, was jailed for 12 years after pleading guilty to 11 charges against five victims.
These including offences of meeting a child following sexual grooming, making and distributing indecent images of children, and sexual activity with a child.
Among the offences, police said Smith "plied victims with alcohol in order to commit abhorrent and depraved offences".
Described as a "calculated individual", he created multiple social media accounts and aliases, identifying as a teenager, to lure his victims into trusting him.
Following his arrest, numerous devices belonging to Smith were seized which uncovered further victims of grooming, evidence of possession and distribution of indecent images of children, and extreme pornography.
Detective Chief Inspector Ian Partington, from Greater Manchester Police, said: “Firstly, I would like to publicly recognise the courage of the two young girls who were staying in the hotel room – they made contact with someone they could trust, which enabled us to safeguard them and, ultimately, secure this prosecution.
“Smith’s behaviour towards the victims was nothing short of sickening – in some cases, he plied them with alcohol in order to commit abhorrent and depraved offences.
"His prosecution and imprisonment should reassure our communities about our commitment to fighting this type of crime and keeping vulnerable people safe.”
Constable Carly Baines, of GMP's Sexual Crime Unit, added: “This sentencing is the result of a long, meticulous investigation by our complex safeguarding hub.
"Smith’s behaviour is deplorable and completely unacceptable, and I hope this result sends a stark warning to offenders that these behaviours will not be tolerated by GMP.
“I would like to thank the victims for their resilience and bravery in reporting this incident to the police and giving us the opportunity to put a dangerous and depraved man in prison, and I hope this sentencing will now allow the victims to be able to move forward with their lives.”