Michael Lawrence 38

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A dangerous sexual predator who groomed a 12-year-old girl with a torrent of over 1,000 messages has been jailed for nearly five years, following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.

Michael Lawrence, 38, of Tudor Road, Hinkley, was found guilty and sentenced for two counts of Inciting a Girl Under 13 To Engage In Sexual Activity on 13 February, following an earlier trial at Leicester Crown Court.

Despite maintaining his innocence and pleading not guilty, Lawrence was sentenced to four years and 11 months in prison, plus two years on extension.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely and also handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which prohibits him from having unsupervised contact with a child under 16 unless with consent where they know of his convictions.

The order also prevents him from using social media or apps to contact children as well as deleting search history, wiping or encrypting any devices.

The court heard how Lawrence befriended the school child at Kettering station in summer, 2022. Over a period of two years, he sent the victim a barrage of more than 1,200 messages and voice notes on social media.

Once he had groomed her into a friendship, he then began sending increasingly brazen sexual messages where he told her had a “crush” on her and repeatedly tried to instigate sexual contact. In one message he said “sorry if I’m being flirty with you I’m naughty.” Before the next day then suggesting they could “be together secretly.”

In one 30-day period alone, he sent 223 messages, including one conversation where he warned her to be careful with what she tells her dad about him.

The barrage of messages only came to light following a separate police investigation. When officers went to the remorseless predator’s address to arrest him, he said “do you think I’m f****** dangerous?”.

BTP Detective Constable Alex Price said:

“This sentence is testament to the courage of the young girl who supported our investigation to get this extremely dangerous sexual predator behind bars.

“The disgusting motive for Lawrence’s behaviour is obvious from the sheer number of messages he sent to her and his deliberate, escalating behaviour over two years, yet he’s never shown any remorse for his actions nor the lifelong impact they will have had on the young girl.

“If you experience or witness any sort of behaviour which makes you feel uncomfortable on the railway, text us discreetly on 61016, or call 999 in an emergency. We will always take you seriously, and we’ll stop at nothing to bring sexual offenders like Lawrence to justice.”