CHRISTOPHER OATES SENTENCED IN STOCKPORT FOR CHILD GROOMING AND SEXUAL ABUSE

Christopher Oates, a 45-year-old man from Stockport, has been handed a severe prison sentence of 13 years following his conviction for a series of heinous crimes involving the grooming and sexual exploitation of two teenage girls. The disturbing case was heard at Manchester Crown Court, where the details of Oates’s manipulative and violent actions were laid bare.

Oates targeted two vulnerable girls, one aged 14 and the other 17, exploiting their trust and innocence. He employed manipulative tactics to control and coerce them into engaging in sexual acts, often forcing them to have sex with various men. The court heard that he also assumed the role of a pimp, orchestrating their encounters and exerting dominance over their lives. In a particularly alarming move, Oates pretended to be the boyfriend of the younger victim, using drugs as a means of persuasion to lure her into prostitution in Manchester. His predatory behavior extended to the possession of indecent images of children, which was uncovered during the investigation.

Further evidence revealed that Oates had been grooming one of the victims through social media, exchanging sexual messages that contributed to the ongoing abuse. The court was also informed of a violent incident where Oates dragged one of the victims into an alley in Stockport and threatened her with a gun, asserting, "You do as I say, you're mine now," before ordering her to go to her designated spot. Both victims recounted participating in sexual acts inside cars around Manchester, with one describing a night when they were forced to perform on camera with a man, a horrifying detail that underscored the extent of Oates’s depravity.

Oates’s criminal activities extended beyond sexual exploitation. He supplied the victims with drugs such as cocaine and alcohol, aiming to develop their dependency and keep them under his control. Despite his efforts, the victims managed to escape his grasp. During victim impact statements, both women expressed the profound trauma inflicted upon them. One victim stated, "You groomed me, you put a gun to my head, and not only did you abuse me, but you let other men too," while the other shared feelings of shame, embarrassment, and fear that haunted her during the ordeal.

Oates’s criminal history predates these events, with police investigations dating back to 2012 when he was found in possession of indecent images. He subsequently fled abroad, living in Thailand and the Dominican Republic, before being apprehended in 2023. Authorities uncovered further evidence, including a false passport, additional indecent images, and proof of grooming a child via social media platforms. Oates pleaded guilty to multiple charges, which included making and possessing indecent images of children, attempting to engage a child in sexual activities, producing cannabis, possessing an improperly obtained identity document, possessing a firearm used to threaten violence, and engaging in sexual acts with a girl aged 13-15, as well as coercing a child into prostitution.

Detective Inspector Eleanor Humphreys praised the resilience of the victims and emphasized the strength it took for them to come forward. She highlighted that the overwhelming evidence against Oates led to his conviction, stating, "Despite Oates's cowardly attempts to evade justice, the evidence we uncovered was overpowering, and his crimes have finally caught up with him." Prosecutor Lucy Dowdall reaffirmed the commitment of the Crown Prosecution Service to seek justice for victims of child abuse. The case, which originated in the early 2000s in south Manchester, has now been conclusively resolved with Oates’s sentencing, providing a measure of closure for the victims and reaffirming the community’s stance against such heinous crimes.