A MAN has been jailed for five years after pleading guilty to the sexual assault and grooming of a 14-year-old Evesham girl.
David Lyndon Cole, 22, from London, pleaded guilty at Worcester Crown Court on Monday (January 16) to two sexual assaults and one count of meeting a child after grooming.
He was arrested last September and was found to have committed the offences after initially befriending the 14-year-old victim on social media.
The court heard how Cole then used social media to groom the young girl before he travelled to Evesham to commit the offences against her.
Cole has been placed on the sex offenders register for life and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order restricting him from using the internet and engaging with anyone under the age of 16 for five years.
Det Sgt Jim Hopkins from Worcestershire’s child sexual exploitation (CSE) team who led the investigation, said: “This process has undoubtedly been traumatic for the young girl and I would like to take this opportunity to commend the courage she has shown and thank her for her support for this investigation.
“A team of designated detectives in the CSE team worked very closely with the victim and her family to ensure they received all of the support their required throughout the investigation.
“We are committed to protecting children from harm and there is a host of advice and information available to parents, carers and children about how to keep themselves safe online on the CSE page on our website.
“I urge everyone to take heed of this advice for themselves and their families.
“West Mercia Police and our partner agencies provide specialist support to those affected by child sexual exploitation and will continue to robustly target those who prey on the most vulnerable in our communities.”
