TOM COOPER'S CRIMES IN ROMFORD: PAEDOPHILE GROOMS YOUNG GIRLS VIA ESSEX RACERS WEBSITE

In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Romford and the surrounding areas, Tom Cooper, a 25-year-old man from Main Road, Romford, was found guilty of a series of heinous crimes involving the exploitation and grooming of young girls through an online car enthusiast platform. The website, known as Essex Racers, was ostensibly a forum for car enthusiasts to organize meets in various towns along the A12, including Chelmsford and Braintree. However, behind this seemingly innocent facade, Cooper exploited his access to the site’s members, many of whom were young teenagers, to carry out a disturbing pattern of grooming and sexual abuse.

Investigations revealed that Essex Racers operated for approximately three years, attracting up to 3,500 members at its peak before being shut down in January 2008. During this period, Cooper used the platform to establish contact with vulnerable girls, some as young as 12, by unblocking girl-only chat rooms and engaging in conversations that quickly turned sinister. Detective Inspector Keith Oddy, who led the investigation, described Cooper as a dangerous offender in court, emphasizing his persistent efforts to solicit indecent images and sexual favors from minors.

In March 2008, police raided Cooper’s residence on Main Road, Romford. The search uncovered a staggering collection of digital material, including 28,000 indecent images of children, with a significant proportion depicting girls under the age of 13. Authorities also seized computers, laptops, and storage discs, which contained more than 70,000 pages of online chat logs between Cooper, who went by the nickname “Tommy,” and young girls. These logs revealed a pattern of coercion, with Cooper encouraging and inciting the girls to send him indecent photographs of themselves.

The court heard that between June 2005 and December 2007, Cooper exploited his position of trust to communicate with victims, some of whom he contacted through his ability to access private chat rooms. Prosecutors detailed how he took advantage of the girls’ impressionable age, with some as young as 12, to manipulate them into sharing explicit images and engaging in sexual activities. In one particularly disturbing incident in September 2007, Cooper took a 15-year-old girl to his address and engaged in sexual activity with her. He also groped another 13-year-old girl over her clothes and attempted to kiss her in his car after asking her to be his girlfriend.

Cooper’s actions did not go unnoticed, and he was charged with multiple counts of possessing indecent images, inciting children to share such images, sexual assault, and grooming. He pleaded guilty to 13 counts of possessing indecent images, eight counts of inciting children to share indecent images, two sexual assaults, and grooming a 15-year-old girl with whom he arranged to meet for sex. The court also found that he had sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl.

Judge Michael Brooke sentenced Cooper to a total of four years for sexual assault on the 15-year-old, four years for grooming, two-and-a-half years for each count of inciting children to share indecent images, and one year each for possession and distribution of indecent images, as well as for the sexual assault on the 14-year-old. The sentences are to run concurrently, with Cooper expected to serve at least two years in prison before being released on license. Additionally, he will be placed on the sex offenders register for life and subject to a sexual offences prevention order.

Judge Brooke commented on the case, stating, “None of these girls seem to have suffered distress or trauma as a result of being involved in this activity, but it’s clearly activity that exposes these girls to a premature, inappropriate sexualisation.” He emphasized that the victims were at an impressionable age and that Cooper’s crimes posed a significant risk of impacting their future sexual behavior and overall quality of life. The case highlights the dangers posed by online platforms and the importance of vigilance in protecting vulnerable minors from exploitation.