Child rapist groomed 10-year-old girl and played on Father Christmas non appearance fears

A child rapist from Warrington played on the fears of one of his victims by saying Father Christmas would not come to her house if she did not do what he wanted.

Lee Brown had groomed and repeatedly sexually abused the 10-year-old and also another eight-year-old girl, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

Brown, aged 21, who was 15 at the time of the offences, has been jailed for four years four months, and will have to serve two-thirds of the sentence behind bars.

The offences committed by the defendant came to light in October 2021 and Brown pleaded guilty to eight offences involving oral rape, sexual assault, causing and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
The judge, Recorder Michael Maher told Brown, of Freshwater Close, Great Sankey, Warrington, that they were serious offences that occurred over a year but said he took into account that he was only 15 and 16 at the time.

He said that they occurred on multiple occasions and involved him making the older child perform a sex act on him and inciting the other girl to do the same..
“There was a persistence to your sexual abuse above and beyond what might be said to be child-like experimentation,” he said.
Recorder Maher said Brown had emotionally exploited them and groomed them.
“I note the way you manipulated the older girl and played on her child-like fears saying Father Christmas would not come to her house if she did not do as you demanded.”

In impact statements, the victims told how they have been left psychologically harmed and the older victim said, “I feel I have to live with this weight on my shoulders.”
They said they wanted Brown to face the consequences of his actions.

Simran Garcha, defending, pointed out that Brown has no previous convictions and had lacked maturity. His guilty pleas demonstrated his genuine remorse for what he had done as a child.
Testimonials, described by the judge as “powerful and heartfelt”, were produced on his behalf and when he was jailed three women in the public gallery were in tears.
Brown has to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and the judge imposed a restraining order and Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years.