MAN TOOK RUCKSACK OF BOOZE TO MEET UNDERAGE GIRL FOR SEX
A disturbing case of online grooming culminated in a dangerous encounter at a railway station in Derbyshire, involving Ryan Burton, a 25-year-old man who travelled to meet what he believed was a 13-year-old girl.In reality, the girl was an undercover police officer.
Burton arrived at the station with a rucksack containing bottles of whisky and beer, prepared for what he intended to be a sexual meeting.
Just prior to this planned encounter, Burton communicated with the girl via online messaging, instructing her to pretend she was his cousin if anyone questioned her during their meeting.
He had been messaging the undercover officer, who posed as a 13-year-old named Leah, for approximately three weeks.
During this period, Burton persistently badgered her to meet, with their conversations becoming increasingly sexualized.
According to the prosecution, Stefa Fox, the police officer who set up the online profile and played the role of the child, revealed that Burton’s interactions swiftly turned to explicit content.
The messages included inquiries about the girl’s school, claims that he was employed as a fast food manager, and the sending of explicit images.
Burton repeatedly expressed a desire to meet her, emphasizing plans to go to nearby woods and advising her to lie about their relationship to any onlookers at the station.
Over the course of three weeks, investigators documented 188 pages of chat logs demonstrating Burton’s fixation on initiating sexual contact with someone he believed was an underage girl.
The undercover officer detailed how Burton’s messages included graphic material, such as a video in which he was touching himself sexually, along with persistent requests for the girl to meet.
The plan was set in motion for Burton to meet Leah at Alfreton railway station on February 22 of that year.
On the day of the meeting, Burton sent her messages confirming his intention to take her to woods and advising her to identify herself as his cousin if questioned.
However, his scheme was quickly foiled when police detained him at the station.
During the arrest, Burton was found carrying a rucksack containing alcohol, food, a towel, and soft drinks.
His intentions were clear, and his guilty plea to multiple charges, including attempted sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act, and attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming, was entered at court.
Judge Shaun Smith KC sentenced Burton to 27 months in prison.
In his detailed remarks, the judge condemned Burton’s actions as truly appalling.
He noted Burton’s misconception that the girl was under 14, pointing out that the defendant believed she was a real 13-year-old child.
The judge emphasized that Burton’s behaviour was not merely talk but involved concrete plans to meet and likely engage in sexual acts.
While acknowledging Burton’s age and naivety, the judge expressed concern about the broader risk Burton posed to females aged 11 to 16, based on the pre-sentence report by probation services.
Burton was also ordered to register as a sex offender for the next ten years and was subjected to a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.
In mitigation, Mark Knowles highlighted Burton’s difficulty in expressing shame and embarrassment, revealing a personality that struggles with social interaction.
Despite his guilty plea, Burton has no prior convictions, but his actions have led to significant consequences, highlighting the gravity of online grooming and the dangers posed by those who seek to exploit children online.
