JORDAN RICHARDS OF LONG EATON SENTENCED FOR ONLINE GROOMING AND RAPE IN DERBYSHIRE

In May 2017, a disturbing case emerged involving a young girl who was sexually assaulted after being groomed online by a man from Derbyshire. The victim, just 12 years old at the time, was targeted through social media, specifically Facebook, by Jordan Richards, a 21-year-old man formerly residing on Walton Street in Long Eaton.

Richards had established contact with two young girls, aged 12 and 13, on Facebook during 2013. Over several months, he engaged in messaging conversations that gradually became more suggestive and flirtatious. The court heard that Richards believed the 13-year-old girl was older, but evidence presented during the trial clearly indicated that he was aware of her true age. Despite his claims of ignorance, the messages he sent contained flirtatious and inappropriate content, revealing his awareness of the girls' young ages.

After building a rapport through online communication, Richards arranged to meet the girls in person. On two separate occasions, these meetings culminated in sexual activity with the 12-year-old girl, an act that has left her family devastated. The mother of the victim expressed her heartbreak and outrage, emphasizing her initial lack of suspicion. She explained, “I didn’t have any suspicions that my girl was up to anything out of the ordinary online. She would chat to boys but everything seemed quite child-like and innocent — she didn’t seem secretive about it at all.”

During the trial at Nottingham Crown Court, Richards pleaded guilty to the charge of rape but denied the charge of sexual activity with a child. The jury found him guilty of both charges after a trial held in February. The court also heard that Richards had sent the girls suggestive and flattering messages, further indicating his predatory intent.

The mother of the 12-year-old girl described her feelings upon discovering the full extent of Richards’ actions. She said, “To think that he had taken our innocent little girl, taken advantage of her naivety and age with the messages he sent, then arranged to meet up and raped her is absolutely disgusting. She was obviously going to look up to him because he was an older boy. She didn’t know what he had in mind, he should have known better.”

As a result of his conviction, Richards was sentenced to two years in prison. Additionally, he will be required to sign the Sex Offender Register for a period of ten years. He was also issued a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which imposes strict restrictions on his internet activity and contact with minors. The order specifically prohibits him from having unsupervised contact with girls under 16, using the internet to contact minors, or deleting internet history to conceal his activities.

The mother expressed her relief that justice was served, stating, “I’m glad that Richards received a custodial sentence in the first instance because hopefully that’ll make him realise the seriousness of what he’s done. But the fact that he’s got these prohibitions against him means that when he does come out of jail, he won’t be able to target other girls in this way.”

Over the past four years, her family has endured significant emotional hardship, but she feels that the outcome of the case provides some measure of closure and safety for other potential victims.