A 40-year-old man who travelled to east Kent to sexually abuse a child after grooming her online has been jailed.
Simon Price travelled from Norfolk to meet the 13-year-old after exchanging messages with her through an online computer game.
The child’s mother later found explicit messages he had sent to her on her phone and Price was arrested in Norfolk on 25 June 2020.
Following an investigation by Kent Police’s Vulnerability Investigation Team, Price was charged with meeting a child following sexual grooming, sexual activity with a child, sexual communications with a child and making indecent photos.
He admitted the charges at Norwich Crown Court on November 27 and was jailed for five years and four months on February1. He will serve an extra five years on licence at the end of that sentence.
Price, formerly of Taverham, Norfolk, met his victim through the game in November 2019 and then made contact with her through social media.
After encouraging her to send indecent and self-harm images of herself to him, he drove to east Kent in March 2020 and sexually abused her in his car.
Two months later, the girl’s mother saw Price through a live stream on her phone and found messages from him on the device. An investigation identified Price as the source of the messages and he was arrested.
PC Tia Woolley, Kent Police’s investigating officer, said: “Price is an extremely dangerous man and I am relieved that the extended sentence imposed will prevent him from harming any more children.
“The case shows how children can become victims of abuse through online games and social networks and I urge parents to speak to their children about how they are using the internet and activate parental controls and safety settings on phones and other devices.”
