Paul Wright 46

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A man who preyed on girls as young as ten years old has been sentenced to more than two years and given a 20-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order by a judge at Southampton Crown Court after being previously found guilty of child sex offences by a jury.

Paul Wright, aged 46, of Tyndalls, Hindhead in Surrey was convicted of sexual assault of a girl under 13 by touching and engaging in sexual communication with a child when the offences took place in August 2020 in the Winchester area.

The jury heard how Wright, who was known to the victim and their family, had been sending inappropriate messages to the victim, who was 10 years old at the time of the offences, which very quickly became sexual. He had also previously requested explicit images of the child.

The jury were also told that he had set up a separate social media account, utilising a different name, to speak to the victim in private in order to stop other people interfering.

At an earlier hearing at Southampton Crown Court on Tuesday 29 August 2023, Paul Wright pleaded not guilty to the aforementioned offences.

During a three-day trial in August 2024 at Southampton Crown Court, a jury reached a verdict of guilty against the count of sexual assault of a girl under 13 by touching and engaging in sexual communication with a child.

Paul Wright was sentenced on Tuesday 8 October at Southampton Crown Court to two years and four months in prison. The judge also granted a 20 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order against him in addition to requiring Wright to sign on to the Sex Offenders’ Register for a period of 20 years.

PC Kallum Sillence of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Child Abuse Investigation Team (CAIT) said: “Paul Wright betrayed the trust of a family, who unknown to them was a previous Registered Sex Offender. I am certain that had they been aware of this fact, they would not have allowed such contact and we would not be in the position we are in today in that a young girl had been sexually assaulted.

“The disclosures made by Paul Wright about the allegations were damning in this case. It is clear that Mr Wright posed a significant risk to young children through the course of his actions.

“The sentencing is a result of outstanding bravery by the victim in disclosing the interactions in the first instance and while this sentence in no way will negate what has happened to her, the hope is that she can now begin to put this ordeal behind her, and move forward, knowing that justice has now been served.”