Raheem Rahman 24

Description

A Stoke-on-Trent man has been put behind bars for three years after grooming a teenage girl in Congleton.

Raheem Rahman, 23, of Andrew Mulligan Close, Tunstall, had been messaging his victim via the Snapchat app, and had arranged to meet her in Congleton on Monday, January 23. He collected the girl in his car at around 8.10am that day and drove to a country lane, thought to be in the Astbury area.

He then stopped the car and sexually assaulted the girl before driving her back to Congleton, Chester Crown Court heard.

Rahman was located after Ring doorbell footage helped to identify the car he was driving. He was arrested the same day at his place of work in Congleton.

During interview, he admitted talking to the girl on Snapchat but initially denied any sexual contact with the victim, saying he had picked her up and then dropped her off at school. He later pleaded guilty to one count of grooming and two counts of sexual activity with a child.

He was sentenced to three years in prison in a hearing at Chester Crown Court on Friday June 30). A sexual harm prevention order was also imposed for an indeterminate period.

As well as being jailed for three years, Rahman must sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and is subject to a restraining order.

Following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Simon Mills of Cheshire Police's Eastern Crime Unit, said: "Firstly, I would like to thank the victim for her bravery throughout this investigation, and we hope this case encourages other victims of sexual offences to come forward. Rahman would have been well aware of the age of the victim but in spite of this, he chose to sexually assault the girl.

"I also hope that this case acts as a warning to others about the potential dangers of social media. Rahman met his victim online and he purposefully used social media as a tool to groom the girl before taking advantage of her

"We treat all reports of sexual offences extremely seriously and any allegations will be thoroughly investigated.”