Detectives have praised the bravery and assistance of a teenage girl and her family to help police ensure her potential abuser was put behind bars.
The girl’s concerned mother contacted police after becoming aware of messages of a grooming nature sent by a 24-year-old man to her 13-year-old daughter.
Newcastle Crown Court heard that police investigated the messages and discovered defendant Sean Yearnshire had arranged to meet the girl, with some of the texts sent to her progressing to a sexual nature.
It emerged she was initially contacted via Snapchat by Yearnshire in June last year.
Read more: Durham judge said 'inference' was man was grooming girl for sex
But as the extent of the communication developed the victim’s mother became aware of what was going on and contacted police, who began an investigation.
The court heard that upon his arrest, in interview, Yearnshire claimed the victim had told him that she was 19 and that he met her through the dating app Tinder.
But his account was disproven as messages recovered showed she had told him she was actually 13 and the victim had not been active on the Tinder app.
The defendant was then charged with sexual communication with a child and another count of meeting a child under the age of 16 following grooming.
Having previously admitted both charges at an earlier hearing, Yearnshire, of Montague Street, Newcastle, was jailed for a total of 35 months.
He was also made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will have to notify of his whereabouts on the sex offenders’ register, both for 10 years.
Read more: Man, 20, jailed over sexual meeting with girl in County Durham
Following the conclusion of the case, Detective Constable Patricia Brown, of Northumbria Police, said: “First and foremost I would like to praise the victim and their family.
“They have shown huge courage in initially reporting Yearnshire’s grooming activity and then working alongside officers to help us gather all the necessary evidence in the case.
“I sincerely hope that his conviction in court offers them some comfort and a sense of closure following the ordeal.”
Det Con Brown added: “Yearnshire knowingly and willingly manipulated his victim for purely selfish reasons with the aim of sexual gratification.
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“We are pleased that he is now behind bars and has been made the subject of stringent orders which aim to curb any future offending.
“This case outlines the force’s fierce commitment to ensuring sexual predators who target vulnerable individuals online and through social media are rightfully brought to justice.”
Further information about online safety is available via the Northumbria Police website.
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