A sex offender has been jailed after being convicted of the sexual abuse of a child in Ivybridge.
Samuel Netley, 32, was sentenced at Plymouth Crown Court recently after pleading guilty mid-trial to four counts of sexual activity with a child and breach of a sexual harm prevention order.
Netley, who has resided at numerous addresses across Devon and Cornwall and has previously been convicted of child sex offences, was sentenced to an extended sentence of 10 years and eight months – five years and eight months in prison and five years on extended licence.
He must also serve on the sex offenders’ register for life. A restraining order was put in place to protect the victim.
The court heard how, in 2019, police received a call from the victim’s mother, stating that her daughter, a teenage child under 16, had been abused by an older man after he befriended her on Snapchat.
Netley, who lied about his age, sent inappropriate pictures to the victim and went on to meet her in the woods, where he committed the contact offences after pressuring her.
Netley’s offending and grooming of the victim was uncovered following an extensive examination of mobile phones.
Investigating officer DC Simon Cooper said, “We feel so proud of the victim in this case, a victim Samuel Netley targeted because she was a vulnerable child. It took tremendous courage for her to come forward and report these offences and to help us find a predator hidden behind lies and mobile phones.
“Her determination to fight for justice never wavered throughout the entirety of the investigation. The sentence delivered shows how seriously we deal with sexual offences against children, and I am certain that the lives of many young girls have been protected for years to come.
“I hope with this positive outcome, more victims of crime will feel able to come forward and work with the police, together we can ensure dangerous offenders like Netley are brought to justice.”
