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1 month ago
20
A man has been jailed for 16 years for grooming and raping a child under the age of 12.
Richard Bosworth, 40 (13.07.1983), from Coalville in Leicestershire, travelled to South West London to abuse his victim after posing as a teenager on a social media platform.
Police, who described him as a 'devious offender' were first alerted by the victim's mother in September 2024. She said that her 12-year-old daughter had spoken to friends at school about being abused by a man. The Met Police then launched an investigation and traced Bosworth vi his phone and CCTV to arrest him. As well as serving 16 years in prison, Bosworth will be made to register for life as a sex offender.
He was sentenced on Tuesday, 4 March, at Kingston Crown Court. He previously pleaded guilty on Wednesday, 23 October, 2024 to two counts of rape as well as seven other sexual offences, including sexual assault on a child under 13, engaging in sexual communication with a child, causing a child to watch a sexual act, two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, meeting a child following sexual grooming, and assault by digital penetration.
Detective Inspector Kieran Curry, who led the investigation, said: “I commend the young survivor in this case for her courage. She found the strength to confide in officers, and her account of this appalling assault proved crucial in securing Bosworth’s conviction. Her and her family’s cooperation has put this dangerous predator behind bars.
“Bosworth travelled from Leicestershire to abuse his victim. He is a devious offender, who ensured he left very little evidence for police to pursue.
“It is a testament to our investigative teams that they succeeded in identifying Bosworth, combing over large amounts of CCTV evidence and phone data in order to apprehend him and secure a conviction.”
Investigators spoke to the girl, who said the man picked her up in his car in the early hours of a Thursday in September 2024. He used a fake profile when communicating with the victim, grooming her for a month prior to the meeting. He left little evidence of his true identity.
Officers in the case reached out to the Met’s Operation Atlas team, which specialises in digital manhunts. Having obtained the number associated with the fake BeFriend profile, investigators were able to trace the movement of a phone through London to the victim’s home, as it citied off various telecom masts. They then paired this with CCTV footage from the areas in question.
Through these enquiries, investigators were able to single out a car. This was found to belong to Bosworth.
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