Man jailed for four years for sexual activity with a child

A man who admitted grooming a young girl on social media before engaging in sexual activity with her has been jailed for a total of four years.

An investigation was launched by Redcar CID after concerns were raised about 27-year-old Jake Bradley from the Sherburn area of Durham.

Officers discovered Bradley added the young victim on Snapchat and spoke to her daily between June and August 2022 before the conversations got more sexual in nature.

After grooming the young girl, Bradley went on to meet her on multiple occasions and made sexual advances towards the fearful victim.

The victim bravely disclosed what had happened and Bradley was arrested and subsequently charged with one count of grooming and three counts of sexual activity with a child.

He admitted the offences and appeared at Teesside Crown Court on Friday 31^st January where he was sentenced to four years in prison.

A Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) was also put in place and Bradley will be on the Sex Offenders register for life.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Romy Pattinson from Redcar CID said: “I hope this sentencing can bring some comfort to the victim, knowing that Bradley is in prison and is unable to harm anyone else.

“I’d like to thank the victim for her bravery and for her support throughout this extremely difficult process. We’re committed to protecting children and vulnerable people and we will do all we can to bring those causing harm to justice.”

It’s never too late to report an incident to police; we have specially trained officers who will support you throughout. You can report at any time of day or night online via the Cleveland Police website or by phoning 101.