Locations
Coniston Avenue, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, DN33
Description
A man who plied a group of girls with drugs before sexually assaulting one of them has been jailed for four years and nine months.
James Briggs, aged 42 of Coniston Avenue, Grimsby, was found guilty at Exeter Crown Court on 6 July 2026 of sexual assault on a child under 13.
Briggs had also previously pleaded guilty to six counts of offering to supply and supplying a controlled class B drug - Ketamine.
The court heard how Briggs had sexually assaulted the girl in East Devon in 2023.
The girl bravely came forward to police to report the incident which resulted in Briggs being arrested and his mobile phone seized.
Examination of his phone showed that Briggs had recently purchased Ketamine and videos evidenced children being under the influence of drugs.
In interview, Briggs stated he had been speaking with the girl in relation to her mental health issues and she had become upset. He denied sexual offending.
Briggs was sentenced on Friday 17 July 2026 and was given a prison sentence of four years and nine months, was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years and made subject to a seven-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
The officer in case DC Jonathan Stephens said:
“We welcome the outcome and would like to acknowledge the courage shown by the victim and other child witnesses in this case. We ask anybody who has been the victim of child sexual abuse to report it, whether it be recent or non-recent, and we will investigate each matter thoroughly”