BERKHAMSTED MAN RICARDO DIAS CAUGHT IN CHILD SEX OFFENSES AND GROOMING SCANDAL IN HERTFORDSHIRE

In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Berkhamsted and the wider Hertfordshire area, Ricardo Dias, a 56-year-old man, has been sentenced to a total of six years in prison for a series of heinous crimes involving the grooming and sexual exploitation of underage girls. The court heard that Dias engaged in a calculated and predatory campaign to target vulnerable teenagers, all while his wife was undergoing treatment for cancer, adding a tragic layer of personal hardship to his actions.

According to court records, Dias-Cyrino, who resides on Loxley Road in Berkhamsted, used a mobile phone application to establish contact with his victims. Operating under the alias “Cuddly Daddy,” he sought to lure young girls into a false sense of trust. His grooming tactics included creating a fake online profile under the name “Katie,” through which he fabricated conversations about the supposed enjoyment of sexual activities, further manipulating his victims.

The court revealed that Dias-Cyrino’s first known victim was a 16-year-old girl he met in Hampshire in mid-2017. During their encounter, he allegedly plied her with alcohol, took explicit photographs, and subjected her to physical abuse by spanking her over a wooden box he had constructed. This wooden box, which he built himself, was filled with sex toys and clothing, and was secretly stored in the back of his work van, a detail that the judge described as particularly disturbing.

In addition to this victim, Dias-Cyrino groomed two other 16-year-old girls, persuading them to send explicit photographs of themselves. However, he did not meet with either of these girls in person. His criminal activities extended to attempting to meet four other girls, all aged 13, in March of the year he was caught. These meetings were thwarted when law enforcement officers and paedophile-hunter groups set up fake profiles, which Dias-Cyrino believed were real minors.

The police investigation uncovered a series of charges against Dias-Cyrino, including two counts of child sexual exploitation, four counts of attempted sexual exploitation, and multiple counts related to the distribution and creation of indecent images of children. He admitted to the charges, which also included attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to meet minors following grooming efforts.

Judge Michael Kay QC described Dias-Cyrino’s conduct as “sordid, disgusting and in some respects extraordinary,” highlighting the premeditated nature of his actions, especially the construction of the wooden box used in his abuse. The court sentenced him to six years in prison, with an additional four years on extended licence, as he was deemed a significant risk to the public. His name will be permanently added to the sex offenders’ register, and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order was issued, requiring him to use his real name in all online interactions. Authorities also confiscated his phone, laptop, and the wooden box, which was used as part of his criminal activities.