Man exchanged ‘thousands of messages’ with Sandwell student before raping her

Joshua Brown reportedly began texting the girl after a friend gave him her phone number. Even though he knew she was only 12 at the time, they continued their conversations.

Over the course of six weeks, the two had exchanged thousands of text messages.

Brown, who is from Kent, travelled to meet the girl and raped her in his car.

A few weeks later, the girl told her mother what had happened and the crime was reported to the police.

The 34-year-old, from Robin Hood Green, Orpington, was tracked down using his vehicle registration and arrested by the Metropolitan Police.

Although Brown initially denied any crime, police found messages he had sent to the girl in which he referred to her age and knew that he would go to prison if caught.

Brown was charged with two counts of rape of a girl under 13, sexual assault of a child, possession of indecent images of a child and inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual conduct. He pleaded guilty to all offences at his first hearing at Wolverhampton Crown Court on June 19.

He was sentenced to nine years in prison, suspended for a further year, and faces a sexual harm prevention order for 20 years.

PC Adrian Jackson, of West Midlands Police’s Online Child Sexual Exploitation Team, said: “We commend the girl’s courage in coming forward and her persistence throughout the investigation.”

“We have specialist officers who understand how difficult it is to report crimes of a sexual nature and we are there to help victims at every step of the investigation and prosecution process.”