He thought he had gotten away with it, but he had no idea what the brave schoolgirl had done

A quick-thinking teenager took courageous action when she realized she was in danger and saw her tormentor face life in prison

Former special constable Stephen Godridge groomed his victim via Snapchat before raping her in his car. The 31-year-old had been released from prison just months earlier after preying on two other teenagers in strikingly similar circumstances.

Prosecutor Trevor Parry-Jones told Liverpool Crown Court this week: “The prosecution allege that the defendant is a sophisticated, predatory paedophile whose intention was to satisfy his penchant for sexual activity with teenage girls. He sought out underage girls via social media, in this case Snapchat, and pretended to be much younger at 23.”

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The court heard that Godridge sent the 14-year-old plaintiff a friend request on the platform before persuading her to send him pictures of herself in her underwear. He then drove from his home in Bolton to Liverpool to pick her up in his car and then took her to Manchester to watch him play football.

After returning to Merseyside in the dark, the pervert accompanied his victim to a car park at Breckside Park in Anfield, where he sexually assaulted and raped her in the back seat while she “told him to stop all the time”. She had taken photos of the interior of his vehicle on her mobile phone during the journey out of “worry and fear”.

Mr Parry Jones added: “She describes becoming anxious throughout the car journey and began taking photographs of both the car and the route map as if she knew something unexpected might happen. Her fears were indeed justified.”

This ultimately led to Godridge’s arrest after automatic number plate recognition technology confirmed he had visited the area. Under questioning, he claimed he “believed she was not underage” and claimed the teenager told him she was 17 before they had consensual sex.

In a statement read out to court on her behalf, she said: “I find it difficult to do normal things like go shopping. I hate being alone, it just scares me.”

“I’m afraid someone will come into my house and get me. I just can’t stand being alone.”

“I feel so vulnerable that it will just happen again. I don’t go out much anymore.

“This incident keeps going through my mind. I’m afraid he might hurt me or my family again.”

“What this man did to me has had a huge impact on my life. I’m scared for my future and how this will affect the rest of my life.”

A statement from the girl’s mother said: “She doesn’t leave her bedroom or go out. He stole my little girl from me.”

Godridge, of Southfield Street, Bolton, is said to have “perfected his method over many years”. In 2019, he was sentenced to 57 months in prison at Preston Crown Court after being convicted of two counts of sexual activity with a child. Using “exactly the same modus operandi”, this time he befriended two 15-year-old girls on Snapchat while pretending to be 19 and 22. He then sent them indecent images of himself and had sex with them in his car in remote locations.

Reports at the time revealed that Godridge, who was also subject to a sexual abuse protection order prohibiting him from having any contact with girls under the age of 16, had previously served as an auxiliary constable with Greater Manchester Police before being suspended from duty following his arrest in October 2016. He later resigned from the police force and was released from custody four months before his latest offence.

Defense attorney Keith Harrison told the court: “In my view, it is not necessary to impose a life sentence. If you impose a sufficiently long, determinate sentence, it can often achieve the same result.”

“Facts are facts. This happened very soon after his release.”

“In my opinion, a life sentence should be reserved for much more serious cases. In this case, it is not absolutely necessary.”

“I agree that the sentence should be extended and appropriately long. He will not be released until he has proven that this is safe.

“There will also be a sexual violence prevention order. These elements taken together may mean that a life sentence is not necessary in this case.”

Godridge was found guilty by a jury of two counts of rape, sexual assault, two counts of assault by penetration and breaching a sexual harm prevention order following a trial. He appeared via video link at HMP Liverpool and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 10 years and eight months on Friday.

In sentencing, Judge Gary Woodhall said: “You deliberately used Snapchat as a platform to find young girls for sexual contact. I am satisfied that you were looking for girls you could meet, isolate and then engage in sexual activity with.”

“You extracted confidential information about her personal circumstances, no doubt to determine whether she was a suitable target and whether she was suitably vulnerable and naive. This was deliberate, predatory behaviour on your part.

“She made it clear from the beginning that she was neither consenting nor interested in intimate touching. She pushed your hand away.

“She told you to stop and you ignored her. She told you she was uncomfortable.”

“She screamed in pain. She continued.

“Your previous conviction and the restraining order have not prevented you from committing an almost identical offence again. This offence is therefore all the more serious as it is the third time that you have offended young girls in this way.

“Your sexual interest in young girls is not acknowledged at all. You presented yourself to the probation officer as extremely manipulative, which is indeed reflected in your crimes.

“You have shown no insight into your offending or its impact on your victim. The probation officer concludes that your offending was targeted and premeditated – against a young girl who you had identified as being at risk.

“You are not impulsive. Rather, you have been assessed as someone who analyses situations and is fully aware of the consequences of his actions.

“Your family has cut off contact with you. You have worked in a variety of jobs in the past, including, worryingly, positions where you were tasked with protecting people.

“There is a high likelihood that you will re-offend sexually. The probation officer has concluded that you pose a very high risk to young women. You refuse to understand the significant physical, sexual, emotional and psychological harm your offending causes.

“This was a serious offence of rape in which you engaged in a predatory pursuit of a young and vulnerable girl. You groomed her, isolated her by removing her from her familiar environment and attacked her in a remote location in the dark.

“You have a relevant criminal record. This is the third time you have behaved in this way.

“Importantly, you had only been released from sentence for your previous offences approximately four months before committing these offences. This fact, together with the fact that you were subject to a sexual violence prevention order which should have prevented this offence, did not deter you from committing the offence you committed.

“You have shown no remorse and no understanding of the harm your offending is causing. Given this lack of insight and your refusal to accept that you need to be worked with, I find it impossible to determine how long you will pose such a risk.

“I have concluded, exceptionally, that the risk you pose could not be adequately addressed by a longer prison sentence. For all these reasons, I am satisfied that your offence is so serious as to require a life sentence and that is the sentence I will impose.”

Godridge, who was also given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for life, showed no reaction when sentencing was handed down or at any other time during the hearing. Detective Sergeant Bob Sandham, of Merseyside Police, said: “Godridge’s actions have caused extremely traumatic and lasting harm to his victim and her family, who were supported throughout by specially trained officers.”

“Godridge denied the offences and forced his victim to undergo a trial. Fortunately, he was found guilty of these offences and will now spend a significant amount of time behind bars.

“I hope today’s verdict gives the girl a sense of justice as she continues to recover. I would encourage anyone who has been a victim of a sexual assault to come forward and speak to us.

“We have a team of dedicated staff who will handle your reports expertly and compassionately and we will do everything we can to bring perpetrators to justice. We take all such reports extremely seriously and work with partner organisations such as Victim Care Support Service and Rape and Sexual Abuse Support who are there to support victims every step of the way.”

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