'Dangerous' sex offender from Wellingborough jailed after luring teenage victim by pretending to be 19
A sex offender who lured a teenage Kirklees victim to meet him and then contacted her friends has been jailed for more than three years.
Kevin Walton, 50, of Holme Close, Wellingborough was jailed at Leeds Crown Court on April 28 for three years, nine months for multiple offences against four young girls.
The offending took place in summer 2024 after Walton contacted the victim via social media while posing as a 19-year-old.
He then met the victim in October and committed the contact sexual offences he was convicted of.
The 50-year-old also made contact with three of the victim’s friends and subjected them to offending in which he sent them sexual imagery.
Reports of the offences were made to police later that year leading to a full investigation by dedicated Kirklees child safeguarding detectives.
Walton was identified and then arrested in December 2024 before later being charged.
Walton was convicted of two offences of causing a female aged 13 or over to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity, and three offences of causing a child aged 13 to 15 to look at an image of sexual activity.
He was also jailed for meeting a child aged under-16 following grooming, three offences of sexual communication with a child and three offences of causing a child under-13 to look at imagery of sexual activity.
Detective Inspector Paul Greatorex of the Kirklees District Child Safeguarding Unit said: "We wish to thank the victims for coming forward and disclosing what has happened.
“Their bravery and courage means that Walton, who is a dangerous individual and has used social media to mask his true identity, has been held accountable for his predatory behaviour.
“On release from prison he will also be subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention order which makes it a further criminal offence for him to again try and contact children.”
He added: “We continue to urge all victims of sexual offences to come forwards.
"All reports are investigated with the needs of the victim at the heart of everything we do.”