Locations
Astwood Road, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR3
Description
A man who admitted raping a 10-year-old child after grooming her into believing they were in a legitimate relationship has been jailed for six years.
Ryan Sutton, aged 24, met the girl on the messaging app Snapchat in March 2023, sharing messages and images.
Their contact then moved onto texting, phone calls and FaceTime video chats, leading the girl to believe Sutton was her boyfriend and was in love with her.
On April 23, 2023, Sutton travelled from his home in Worcestershire to meet the girl in Finedon.
They were later found together in woodland, prompting Sutton to run off. He was later arrested while trying to leave the area by car.
An investigation was launched by the Child Abuse Investigation Unit (CAIU) at Northamptonshire Police, amid concerns that Sutton had had sexual contact with the girl.
Condoms had been found in his bag at the time of his arrest, but the victim had not indicated any sexual abuse – it would take almost three months for her to bravely reveal to officers that Sutton had in fact raped and sexually assaulted her, disclosures which were backed up by forensic evidence.
Sutton went on to be charged with rape of a girl under 13, assault of a girl under 13 by touching, assault of a girl under 13 by penetration, engaging in sexual communication with a child, and being an adult meeting a girl under 16 following grooming.
On February 22, 2024, Sutton, of Astwood Road, Worcester, entered guilty pleas to the charges at court.
On Thursday, December 19, he appeared at Northampton Crown Court for sentencing, where he was jailed for six years, with a further year to be served on extended licence.
Sutton was also made subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will remain on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.