Man jailed for grooming girl, 12, he met at station

A sexual predator who groomed a 12-year-old girl he met at a railway station has been jailed for four years and 11 months.

Michael Lawrence, 38, from Hinckley, Leicestershire, sent more than 1,200 messages to the girl after befriending her at Kettering Station in the summer of 2022, British Transport Police (BTP) said.

Over two years, his messages became more sexual in nature, asking for them to "be together secretly" and warning her about telling her dad.

Lawrence admitted two counts of inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity during a hearing at Leicester Crown Court on Friday.

BTP detectives said Lawrence slowly groomed the girl over a two-year period by sending thousands of messages and voice notes over social media.

His messages became increasingly sexual and he told her he had a "crush" on her while repeatedly trying to instigate sexual contact.

In one message he said: "Sorry if I'm being flirty with you, I'm naughty."

In one 30-day period alone, he sent 223 messages, including one conversation where he warned her to be careful with what she tells her dad about him.

The barrage of messages only came to light following a separate police investigation.

When officers went to his house to arrest him, he asked them: "Do you think I'm dangerous?".

Det Con Alex Price said: "The disgusting motive for Lawrence's behaviour is obvious from the sheer number of messages he sent to her and his deliberate, escalating behaviour over two years, yet he's never shown any remorse for his actions nor the lifelong impact they will have had on the young girl."

Alongside his custodial sentence, Lawrence was given two years on extended licence, ordered to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely, and was handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

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