Man jailed for grooming Nottinghamshire teenager

A man has been jailed for child sex offences, including sexual activity and inciting sexual activity with a child from Nottinghamshire.

Oliver Sturman (19) of Newton Road, Southampton, appeared at Southampton Crown Court on Friday where he was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison. He was also put on licence for a further four and a half years.

At an earlier hearing he admitted sexual activity with a 14-year-old Nottinghamshire girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and inciting sexual activity with her, after meeting her over the internet in April while on bail for numerous other child sex offences.

He had also pleaded guilty to seven offences of inciting an 11-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity, one offence of causing a child to watch a sexual act over webcam, four similar offences against a 12-year-old girl, and ten offences of taking and possessing indecent images of girls via webcam.

Sturman was also required to register as a sex offender for life, and was given a Sexual Offence Prevention Order (SOPO) for 12 years, restricting access to young girls and computers.

DS Nikki Smith, who oversaw the investigation, said: “Predators like Sturman take advantage of the vulnerability and naivety of young people. He was contacting victims via facebook, and in the Nottinghamshire case, arranged to meet the victim and abused her.

“This has had a devastating impact on her, and will affect her for the rest of her life. Sturman, who himself is only 19, has preyed on several young girls to satisfy his own depraved desires.

“We would urge parents to ensure they know what their children are doing online, to discuss the risks of chatting online with people they don’t know and encourage them to tell you if they have any concerns about those contacting them.

“Offenders target children online – often hiding behind a fake identity - and it can escalate into threats and intimidation once the initial contact is made.

“Just because your child is at home, doesn’t necessarily mean they are safe from people who want to manipulate them. The internet can be a great asset and young people are often those most in tune with technology, we just need to make sure they have the right information to stay safe.”