PAUL BISHOP GROOMING AND SEXUALLY ASSAULTING 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL IN LONG ITCHINGTON

In June 2017, a man named Paul Bishop was sentenced to prison for his involvement in grooming and sexually assaulting a young girl who was only 14 years old. The incident took place in Long Itchington, where Bishop resided on a narrow boat moored along the Grand Union Canal. The case came to light after Bishop, aged 22 at the time, pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to charges of meeting a child following grooming and committing a sexual assault.

Initially, Bishop had indicated he would deny the allegations, but he ultimately admitted to the charges. The court heard that Bishop’s actions spanned over a period of several months, during which he engaged in a series of manipulative communications with the girl. Prosecutor Matthew Barnes detailed how the girl, who also lived in the mid-Warwickshire area, received a Facebook friend request from Bishop in the previous year. After she accepted the request, the two began exchanging messages through Facebook and Snapchat, as well as texting each other. Both parties disclosed their correct ages, but despite knowing she was under 16, Bishop continued to pursue contact with her.

According to the prosecution, their interactions quickly became flirtatious. Bishop suggested they meet up in person, and although their first two meetings involved only chatting and sharing hugs, there was no sexual activity at that time. However, during their third encounter, which took place in a secluded field near her home, Bishop attempted to kiss her. The girl pushed him away, but he then sexually assaulted her. The incident was not immediately reported; it was only after some time that the girl confided in her grandmother about what had happened. This led to the police being contacted and an investigation being launched.

During the police investigation, officers reviewed the messages exchanged between Bishop and the girl. They found evidence of Bishop expressing a desire to have sex with her. When Bishop was arrested, he provided a series of false statements, claiming that the girl had initiated contact and was unaware of her age. He also denied sending any messages about sex, suggesting that if he had, it was likely because he was intoxicated at the time.

Henry Skudra, representing Bishop, highlighted that his client had no previous criminal convictions. He described Bishop as a fabricator and welder by profession and noted that he had the support of his family. Despite these points, Recorder Anthony Potter sentenced Bishop to 20 months in prison. The court also ordered him to register as a sex offender for ten years. Additionally, Bishop was subject to a restraining order preventing him from contacting the girl for five years and a sexual harm prevention order that restricts his contact with any child under 16 for ten years.

Recorder Potter emphasized the premeditated nature of Bishop’s actions, stating, “I have to sentence you for your actions in grooming her over the course of a couple of months and then meeting up with her on some three occasions, on each occasion at a secluded place of your choosing, and on the last occasion sexually assaulting her. It is quite clear your actions were not in the least bit impulsive, but involved planning by you, and you put pressure on her to conceal the communications between you from others.”