LEE LITTLE GROOMED YOUNG GIRL IN PERRANPORTH AND SENTENCED IN TRURO COURT

In November 2017, a man in his forties was convicted of grooming a young girl for sexual activity after posing as an adolescent boy on Facebook. Lee Vincent Little, who was 46 at the time of the offenses, became fixated on the underage girl while living in Perranporth. It was revealed during the trial that he sent her sexually explicit messages and requested her to masturbate for him. The communication ceased only when she discovered his true age.

Little, now 48 and residing on Valleyfield Road, Streatham in South London, denied charges of inciting the girl to perform a sexual act and of grooming her for sex. Nonetheless, a jury found him guilty following a trial, and he appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentencing. The court was told the offenses occurred during 2014 and 2015.

Judge Robert Linford addressed Little, stating, 'Your behaviour involved you texting her sexualised and inappropriate messages. You invented a false Facebook account, contacting her as an adolescent boy. You were obsessed with that child. Some of the messages you sent tried to get her to masturbate.'

He added, 'What is quite clear is that, while your offending did not lead in any serious way to physical contact, the effects of your persistent behaviour have been profound.' The judge further remarked that Little's actions and denial had impacted witnesses, who were compelled to testify at his trial.

'This case is far, far more serious than I initially thought on reading the papers at the start of the trial,' Judge Linford said. 'I saw and heard the witnesses and believe what they said—so did the jury. I believe very little of what you said.'

The judge criticized Little's conduct during the trial, stating, 'The way you conducted your trial was a window into you and demonstrated a complete absence of remorse.' Although he acknowledged there was no physical contact, he expressed the belief that had the grooming continued, Little would have been inclined towards penetrative activity.

Ultimately, Little was sentenced to three years in prison for the grooming charge and a concurrent nine-month sentence for incitement. He was also subjected to a sexual harm prevention order and was registered on the Sex Offenders’ Register.