LIVERPOOL MAN JAILED FOR GROOMING AND SEXUAL COMMUNICATION WITH A MINOR
A 47-year-old man named Stephen Attah from Toxteth has been found guilty of serious sexual offences involving a 14-year-old girl.Over a period of six months, Attah targeted the young girl after spotting her in a Liverpool pub, where she was with her family.
According to prosecutor Jamie Baxter, Attah took the girl's phone, entered his personal number, and began grooming her through WhatsApp; he changed the chat to 24-hour disappearing messages that deleted their conversation.
The girl managed to save some of his messages and shared them with the police, revealing a disturbing pattern of lewd and sexual communication.
Mr Baxter detailed the severity of the grooming, saying, "The messages reveal a snapshot of the defendant's lewd and sexual messages toward the victim." Attah sent explicit images, including a photograph of his genitals, and attempted to arrange a meeting in a hotel, telling her to "come and see (him) for 10 minutes" in pyjamas, claiming he was nearby and offering her money for vaping.
He persistently asked for sexual pictures, instructing her to send different photos, and warned her to keep their communication secret.
The messages became increasingly sexualized, with requests for nude pictures and threats: "if you tell anyone, something's going to happen to you," he told her.
The girl confided in her cousin, leading to her parents involving authorities.
Attah was arrested and later pleaded guilty to arranging or facilitating a child sex offence and engaging in sexual communication with a child.
The victim expressed her distress, stating, "When everyone found out I was terrified and upset, and it's impacted my confidence massively.
I don't go out alone anymore.
I'm scared I'll bump into someone who knows him or his family.
I'm scared if he does get out, what he'll do to me or my family.
It plays over in my head every single day.
I feel scared and upset every single day because of it." Attah has an extensive criminal history with 18 previous convictions for 38 offences, including drug supply, possessing a firearm, and carrying a bladed article.
His use of threats and intimidation was considered significant in understanding his actions.
During sentencing, Attah received four years and six months in prison, along with an extended licence period of six years.
He was also ordered to stay away from his victim, and an indefinite sexual harm prevention order was issued against him.
Furthermore, Attah will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
His defence argued he demonstrated remorse and was under the influence of trauma, alcohol, and medication at the time, mentioning his struggles with PTSD stemming from witnessing a friend's murder and subsequent trauma as mitigating factors.
However, the court emphasized the gravity of his offences and their impact on the victim.
