Paedophile jailed indefinitely for sexually assaulting girl, 14
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A paedophile sexually assaulted a teenager after grooming her on the internet just five months after being released from serving a 14 year prison sentence for raping another young girl, a court heard today.
Richard Graves, 39, locked the 14-year-old girl in a garage, plied her with alcohol so she could not resist his desires and then carried out repeated sex attacks over three days in May last year.
He had only been released from prison the previous January after serving nine years of a 14 year sentence for the rape of an eight-year-old girl, Teesside Crown Court heard.
Graves, who by this time was living in a hostel in York, befriended the girl in an internet chat room in April 2008 and bombarded her with more than a 1,000 text messages and phone calls over the coming weeks.
After the girl ran away from her home in South Yorkshire on 12 May she contacted Graves and said she was at Leeds railway station and asked him to pick her up.
The defendant took her to his lock-up garage at an isolated former airfield in Tholthorpe, near Easingwold, North Yorkshire.
The garage was kitted out with a television, games console and there was also mattress inside a van, prosecutor Peter Moulson said.
It was inside the van that the girl was plied with alcohol by Graves in order to subdue her before he carried out the sex attacks.
The girl had pleaded with Graves to let her go home. He refused and said that if he went to prison he would come and find her after his release.
Police found the teenager when officers stopped Graves' van on 15 May near the airfield and discovered her inside.
Police interviewed Graves and he accepted he had groomed the girl, abducted her and carried out the sex attacks on her after giving her alcohol.
At an earlier hearing Graves, who told the girl his name was Paul, admitted grooming, abduction, two counts of sexual assault and two counts of sexual touching.
Nicholas Barker, defending, said: "Given the nature of these offences, set against the background of his previous offending, it would be untenable of me to mitigate that there was not a risk of serious harm."
Judge Brian Forster QC said he was imposing a sentence for public protection and Graves would be jailed indefinitely.
The shaven headed defendant will serve a minimum term of six-and-a-half years before he could be considered for parole.
Passing sentence Judge Forster said: "On January 9 you were released from prison on licence after serving nine years of a 14 year sentence for offences of rape against an eight-year-old girl.
"At the time of these offences you were living in a probation hostel, subject to supervision and attending the sexual offences treatment programme.
"Despite this, and driven by your uncontrollable interest in young girls, you continued to make it your goal to satisfy your sexual desires.
"You initiated contact for that purpose. You said you were 16. You said you loved her and you said you wanted to be her first.
"More ominously you said you wanted to run away with her, to tie her up and make her pregnant."
Judge Forster said Graves was clever and manipulative and was able to lead a "double life" following those supervising him.
"From the time you were released your purpose was to satisfy your sexual interests," the judge said.
"You were able to lead a double life without those supervising you knowing what you were planning or knowing what you were doing.
"In my judgment you are a very dangerous man and you are cunning and devious.
"You are a man who is driven by sexual desire and you pose a serious risk to young women."
The judge added: "It is absolutely clear to me that this case must have had a devastating effect upon the girl and her whole family."