Man who groomed teenager in Cov is jailed for five years

A MAN who groomed a vulnerable 15-year-old girl who he first met in Coventry city centre has been jailed.

Anthony Scattergood first met his victim on April 16 this year.

The next day she ended up at his flat in Dillotford Avenue, Coventry, where he had sex with her a number of times, even after she revealed her age.

Scattergood, aged 20, told the victim to tell anyone who asked that she was 16.

He was found guilty of four charges of sexual activity with a child when he appeared at Warwick Justice Centre.

He was jailed for five years and given an extended licence.

It means Scattergood will be monitored and subject to recall to prison at any point for eight years after he is released.

He was put on the sex offender register for life by a judge, who said she believed Scattergood would continue to be a danger to girls aged 12 to 16.

Detective Constable Mel Boon, from the Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: “Scattergood has exploited the vulnerabilities of a young girl, but we were able to build up a level of trust with her.

“It meant our specialist officers were able to get a full account of Scattergood’s offending.

“We’re pleased with the sentence and the extended licence, which means we will be able to proactively manage him when he is released.

“It has had a significant impact on the girl and she continues to have support from other agencies.

“We would urge anyone who finds themself in a similar situation to her to make contact with us.

“We have a team dedicated to looking after young people affected by child sexual exploitation, and we will endeavour to bring perpetrators to justice.”

If you or a child you know has been abused, even if it happened some time ago, support is available directly through the West Midlands Police website.