Grindr pedophile gave student vapes after raping him in car

A pedophile met a boy on Grindr, then raped him in his car and “rewarded” him with cash and e-cigarettes.

Paul Lawrinson met his victim twice in a park to sexually abuse her. His “life changed” as a result of the sickening assaults he suffered.

Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday afternoon that the schoolboy had created a profile on the dating app earlier this year, pretending to be 18 and “looking for fun”. Lawrinson, of Gainsborough Road, Warrington, began messaging him the same day, with the conversation “quickly becoming sexual in nature”.

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Rebecca Smith, prosecuting, described how they had arranged to meet for the evening in Sankey Valley Park in the city. The youth arrived with a group of his friends but left them hiding in bushes and got into the back seat of the defendant’s car with the 50-year-old.

He then performed a sexual act on Lawrinson, who paid him £50 before leaving. However, the pair continued to message each other online, with the pervert questioning the plaintiff’s age and falsely telling him that he was actually 16.

They then met at the same location the next day after Lawrinson promised “rewards and gifts.” On that occasion, the boy touched his penis over his clothing and kissed him in his vehicle before getting vapes and leaving.

Police were notified after the victim’s school and mother learned of the incidents through her son’s friends. Lawrinson’s DNA was later discovered on the child’s hoodie.

He was arrested in Birchwood Forest Park in March with three cell phones and told officers: “It all makes sense now. I know who it is.”

“He said he was 18. Then he said he was 16. I said he looked young. I was afraid they would film me as I drove off.”

Lawrinson’s devices showed that he had used a profile in which he was looking for “proletarian, sleazy, football-loving, athletically slim guys under 25” and said he would “happily reward” them. He made no comment to investigators interviewed.

In a statement read to the court on his behalf, the victim said: “Ever since the incident, I have relived that day and that moment over and over again. When people talk about it at school, it’s a struggle to stay there.”

“The constant reminder of what happened often causes me to have nervous breakdowns. I just want to scream and shout at everyone around me.

“I hardly go out anymore. In the last weeks of my life, I want something I can’t have – normality. I was always good at school before and now I’m here. I just want to be a kid, that’s all I want.”

“No child should be afraid to go out. No child should ever have to go through that.”

Lawrinson has no previous convictions. Defence lawyer Jeremy Rawson said in court: “It is a terrible shame for the defendant that he got involved in these activities. He will regret it for the rest of his life. He wishes it had never happened.”

“He understands the pain and suffering the young man and his family must be feeling. He deeply regrets what he has done to this young man.

“He is a man who has always worked and had good connections. It is terribly sad to see a man of his age and respectability sitting where he is, knowing that he is facing a long prison sentence.”

Lawrinson admitted rape of a child under 13 and sexual abuse of a child under 13. He appeared via videolink at HMP Altcourse and was sentenced to 64 months in prison, suspended for an additional year.

Passing sentence, Judge Tania Griffiths KC said: “I do not need to tell you how extremely serious these offences are. You must have realised on the first night that he was young and you certainly realised that on the second night.”

“He was clearly much younger than 16. The victim’s personal statement is extremely sad.”

“It shows how this boy’s life has changed. You can imagine how a boy in his teenage years feels about the restrictions in his life. That’s up to you. All his friends know about it.

“Can you imagine how difficult life is for him every day? He has to run the gauntlet every day. What you did to him will never leave him. He was a little boy.”

“I take into account your psychological problems after the death of your father, but you had a good upbringing. It is inexplicable why you committed these crimes. I see signs of remorse and shame in you. This mitigates your crime to a small extent.”

Lawrinson was also given a 20-year sexual harm prevention order and must sign the sex offenders’ register for life.

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