Leeds sex fiend groomed vulnerable teen victim, 13, via social media

Leeds Crown Court heard Luke Crossley had first chatted to the 13-year-old on a social networking site in 2014 pretending to be aged 15.

In fact Crossley was then aged 23, Ian Howard, prosecuting, told the court hey talked about three times a week using webcams and “he began the process of grooming her.”

The girl, who lived outside Yorkshire, was vulnerable because she had mental health issues and other problems.

“The chat was initially platonic but became sexualised,” the court heard. He asked her to perform intimate acts in front of the camera for him and for her to send him naked photographs of her, both of which she refused. He still sent her photos of his private parts and a video of him pleasuring himself.

Mr Howard said that their contact ceased for a time in 2014 but it resumed again. The police were informed when the girl’s mother saw his photo and realised he was not 15.

He was arrested in March last year and bailed pending further investigation and messages were recovered and analysed.

That bail was with a condition not to contact her directly or indirectly but he ignored that and travelled to meet her on three occasions in May and June.

Mr Howard said on one of those occasions, Crossley took the girl to a nature reserve where he had sex with her without protection. She eventually told her mother it was with her consent and on the other two occasions they had “only cuddled”.

Crossley was again arrested and this time remanded in custody.

Simon Alexander, representing him, said Crossley had his own problems having been diagnosed as bi-polar.

He had lived for a time with his mother in America but could not get a work visa so had returned to the UK. He found a room in a shared house in Leeds and a job but after he left that, he spent a lot of time on his own on the computer.

He had been let down in previous relationships with girls his own age and decided to contact a younger girl.

Crossley, 25 of Aston Street, Leeds, admitted two charges of inciting a girl to sexual activity and one of sexual activity with a child. He also had six offences of making indecent images taken into consideration.

Jailing him for a total of five years four months, the Recorder of Leeds Judge Peter Collier QC said she was clearly a vulnerable child and selected and groomed by him.

He had then aggravated his criminality by resuming contact with her within hours of being released on bail.