Shinfield man given suspended sentence for grooming girl

A SHINFIELD man who attempted to meet a girl he had groomed has been given a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for two years.

On Friday, January 11, 47-year-old Jimmy

Dawes was sentenced at Reading Crown Court after pleading guilty to one count of attempting to meet a girl under 16 following grooming. He had admitted this at East Berkshire Magistrates Court on November 19 last year.

Reading Crown Court heard that Dawes, of Skylark Way, arranged to meet the child with the intention of committing sexual offences, but was caught following an investigation by the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU), the south east’s dedicated policing unit for tackling serious and organised crime.

SEROCU’s Detective Inspector Emily Evans led the investigation.

She said: “It was clear throughout our investigation that Dawes fully intended to commit serious offences against this teenage girl, and it is positive he has been punished for his actions.

“Our priority is to protect children across the south east from sexual exploitation and we use a wide range of tactics to identify and apprehend those who seek to do them harm.

“We take all reports of child sexual abuse incredibly seriously, and would urge anyone who has been a victim of child sexual abuse, or thinks they know someone who has been, to report it to police via 101.

“We will always follow up allegations of abuse, no matter when they occurred. Victims can talk in confidence to experienced investigators and we can also help them get access to a range of other support services.”