Depraved squash coach jailed for abusing boys
‘TRULY EVIL’ CRIMES INCLUDED GROOMING VICTIMS ONLINE AND RAPING YOUNGSTER
A WELL-KNOWN squash coach who used fake online accounts to groom and rape his young victims has been jailed for 14 years by a judge who described him as “truly evil”.
Hirusha Henricus, 26, used online aliases to coerce young boys into sharing naked pictures of themselves and engage in other sexual activity.
His crimes against 10 victims, who were all under 16, included raping a vulnerable teenager three times.
Henricus, of Furness Avenue in Ashton-under-Lyne, has been jailed at Manchester Crown Court for crimes which a judge described as ‘truly evil.’
Henricus, who was employed by the National Squash Centre at the Manchester Sports and Leisure Etihad Campus, set up fake Facebook and Skype accounts posing as teenage girls to lure his victims into engaging into sexual activity.
One boy was unwittingly persuaded to share naked pictures of himself over Skype with Henricus, who was hiding behind four different online aliases.
His sick methods included preying on the boys’ insecurities or encouraging them to do dares that became increasingly sexual in nature. One horrified parent said he was ‘shocked and distressed’ that his son, a ‘level headed young boy,’ had been enticed into such activity.
Another victim was relentlessly groomed online by Henricus for weeks, but this time chatting to the boy as himself.
His sick pursuit culminated in raping the boy three times as well as another attempted violation.
Prosecutor Alaric Bassano said in all of the cases Henricus, who was also chairman of the city of Manchester Squash Club, sought to ‘groom and corrupt’ the boys for his own sexual gratification.
“He exploited their youth and naïvety,” Mr Bassano told the court.
When Henricus was arrested police uncovered hundreds of similar conversations on his phone and computer.
He pleaded guilty to ten counts of causing or inciting sexual activity with a child, three counts of rape, one count of attempted rape, one count of possessing an indecent image of a child and one count of causing a child to watch a sexual act.
Sentencing, Judge Boora said: “I take the view that you are a very dangerous man. What you did to all the boys is truly evil.”
Judge Boora slammed Henricus for failing to co-operate with police when he was first questioned. He added: “It is clear to me you have not fully accepted your responsibility.
“Think carefully when you spend your long stretch in prison. What you did to those boys is not their fault.”
Henricus was sentenced to 14 years in jail with an extended licence of five years. He was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.
Det Insp Lewis Hughes, from GMP’s Major Incident Team, said: “His depravity knew no bounds, creating aliases to take advantage of and manipulate innocent children into giving him what he wanted.
“He knew these children were under age and he didn’t care.”
Anyone who believes they have been a victim of a sexual offence should call police immediately on 101.
For information about child sexual exploitation visit www.itsnotokay.co.uk