COALVILLE MAN DANIEL FARMER SENTENCED TO 14 YEARS FOR REPEATED OFFENCES AGAINST UNDERAGE GIRLS IN LEICESTER AND COALVILLE

In a case that has shocked the local community of Coalville and the wider Leicester area, Daniel Farmer, a 28-year-old man with a troubling history of sexual offences against minors, has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term of 14 years. The sentencing took place at Leicester Crown Court on a Thursday, following a series of disturbing incidents involving underage girls that spanned over several years.

Farmer’s most recent victim was a vulnerable 15-year-old girl, who, according to court reports, had the developmental age of approximately 13. The young girl was befriended by Farmer through social media platform Facebook, where he initially engaged her with friendly messages. However, the relationship quickly took a sinister turn when Farmer persuaded her to meet him in person. The meeting was arranged for the following day, despite her parents’ objections, after a heated argument at home.

On that day, the girl, feeling pressured and seeking to escape her parents’ restrictions, sneaked out of her house and met Farmer in a nearby park in Coalville. The two engaged in sexual activity during this clandestine meeting. The girl’s frantic parents, concerned about her whereabouts, launched a search and eventually contacted Farmer through Facebook in an attempt to bring her back home.

The following morning, on May 9, Farmer took an even more disturbing step by sending the girl two explicit, naked photographs of himself. The girl’s school, noticing her absence and the concerning messages, promptly contacted the police. Officers responded swiftly, visiting Farmer’s residence, where his father answered the door. The father informed the officers that his son had just jumped out of the back window. A subsequent search in the garden led to Farmer being found hiding in the conservatory, visibly upset and crying.

Farmer later pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including sexual activity with a child, grooming, sending explicit messages to a minor, and breaching a previous court order. His criminal history is extensive; he was first convicted in 2007 at the age of 17 for engaging in sexual activity with an underage girl. He was sentenced to a period of detention, and in January 2014, he received a four-year prison sentence after being caught attempting to befriend other young girls online.

In the 2014 case, Farmer, then 24, was involved with a 14-year-old girl who had gone missing from her home for three days. The girl was found with Farmer after police tracked them down on Newton Road, Heather, on May 19. Both individuals had visible love bite marks on their necks, indicating recent intimacy. The girl, who was described as vulnerable and with learning difficulties, admitted to police that she had spent the weekend at Farmer’s flat, where they had engaged in sexual activity twice. Farmer claimed he believed she was 16, asserting that she had told him she would be 16 the following month, but the court found that he was aware of her true age.

Judge Simon Hammond, presiding over the case, emphasized the gravity of Farmer’s actions, describing him as a “sexual predator” who exploited a young girl for his gratification. He highlighted the importance of protecting impressionable minors from such predatory behavior and stressed that the responsibility lay with the adult, not the victim. Farmer’s prior convictions and the pattern of offending underscored the seriousness of his crimes.

Throughout the proceedings, the court heard that Farmer’s actions had caused significant psychological harm to his victims. The judge sentenced him to 14 years in prison, with a stipulation that he must serve at least two-thirds of the sentence—approximately ten years—before being considered for parole. The court’s decision reflects the ongoing concern about the safety of young girls and the need for stringent punishment for those who exploit them.