Paedophile who groomed an entire family is sent to prison for six years
♦ A paedophile who went on holiday with a 15-year-old girl and her family after grooming her online and convincing them he was a teenager has been jailed for six years.
Clinton Stothard, 31, tricked the girl’s family into thinking he was her 19-year-old boyfriend.
Stothard, from Barnsley, South Yorks, targeted a number of girls online and encouraged them to send explicit photos to him. One, a 14-yearold from Bristol, exchanged more than 3,000 calls and texts.
The judge at Sheffield Crown Court described Stothard as “every parent’s worst nightmare” and “a shark swimming in the waters of the internet... preying on children”.
Stothard admitted 18 charges relating to 39 offences against four children.
Kim O’donnell, of Avon and Somerset Police, said: “Such was the extent of his deceit that he effectively groomed one girl’s entire family – winning their trust so much they felt comfortable taking him on holiday.”