2005: MAN JAILED FOR GROOMING GIRL
Claudio Alberone, a 46-year-old man, has been sentenced to two years imprisonment at Worcester Crown Court for grooming a 13-year-old schoolgirl with the intent of future sexual activity.The case occurred under recent laws implemented to enhance the protection of minors.
Alberone referred to the girl as a "sexy babe" in a series of text messages and was recorded grooving her bottom outside Kidderminster Town Hall.
The jury took just half an hour to convict him of sexual grooming and engaging in sexual acts with a minor.
The sentencing judge, David McEvoy QC, stated: "You lost your self-control and planned to meet her with the purpose of having sex." He also highlighted the girl’s age, noting she believed Alberone was only 16 at the time.
A court order was issued banning Alberone from being near children under 17 outside his family and from entering his home, garden, or car for the next 15 years.
He is also prohibited from electronic communication with minors.
Breaching this injunction, under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, could see him jailed for up to five years.
The defendant's actions were influenced by receiving up to 50 texts daily in August last year.
Both Alberone and the girl talked about their sexual experiences, but he was later assaulted in revenge by her relative and publicly branded a paedophile by her friends during an encounter at a park.
He stated his sole motive was to mend a fractured romantic relationship between the girl and a 14-year-old friend.
A divorced man with four children and grandchildren, Alberone had lent his mobile phone to the 14-year-old to connect with the girl, later retrieving her number from the device’s memory.
Prosecutor John Attwood described Alberone’s intentions as malicious, saying: "He wasn’t acting kindly; he had darker motives." His defense attorney, Richard Carron, insisted that Alberone did not set out to trap the girl and simply made bad judgments, saying: "He became consumed with the texts and lost his moral compass due to a lapse in judgment, which tarnished his reputation."
