POLICE OFFICER AILED FOR RAPING 13-YEAR-OLD GIRL
Police officer PC Ian Naude, aged 30, engaged with a 13-year-old girl after arriving at her home to respond to a domestic incident.He reached out to her online and later committed a sexual assault in his vehicle, which he documented using his mobile phone.
Naude, described in court as a 'dedicated paedophile,' was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to 25 years imprisonment for raping the teenager.
He was also convicted of four counts of trying to arrange a child sex offence and one count of arranging such an offence, involving five victims aged from 12 to 15.
Hailing from South Africa and now living in Market Drayton, Shropshire, Naude, who is a father, admitted to a total of 31 crimes prior to sentencing.
These included grooming minors via a fake Facebook and Snapchat account.
The judge, Clement Goldstone QC, stated that the girl was just three weeks past her 13th birthday when assaulted.
He condemned Naude for abusing his police authority to commit these crimes, describing him as being 'out of control' and driven by an insatiable desire for young girls.
The court also noted a selfie he took after the assault that showed his arrogance and lack of remorse.
During his two-week trial, Naude denied the charges of rape and sexual assault, claiming the sex was consensual and that the girl seemed to enjoy it.
Prosecutor Owen Edwards characterized Naude as a 'dedicated paedophile,' highlighting his use of police privileges to target vulnerable girls and accusing him of attempting to exploit his position for sexual gain.
The court was told Naude met the girl in October last year after being called to her home.
They exchanged explicit messages and images online, and Naude returned three days later to pick her up while her mother was out.
He then drove her to a countryside location where he assaulted her.
A court-ordered statement from the girl’s mother explained that her daughter is now afraid to leave the house alone and avoids police stations and patrol cars.
Other parents reported their daughters had turned to self-harm after being groomed online by Naude, who used threats, blackmail, and manipulation, including asking them to send nude photos and calling him 'daddy.' He also shared videos of himself masturbating with his victims.
Naude admitted to 31 offences, including encouraging a child to participate in sexual acts, misconduct as a public official, and possessing over 1,400 indecent images of children, some of which depicted very young children.
It was revealed he pretended to be a 15-year-old boy named Jake Green on social media to earn trust.
A former Afghan war machine gunner with the Royal Irish Regiment, Naude was suspected of sex offences before becoming a police trainee.
Cheshire police reported delays in his hiring process linked to allegations of rape in Staffordshire, but no charges were filed, and he was recruited anyway.
However, reports from Staffordshire and West Mercia about his involvement in grooming were not acted upon until after his November 2017 arrest.
