Man jailed for plan to rape girl, 12, at hotel
Wiltshire PoliceA man who planned to rape a 12-year-old girl he had been grooming online has been jailed for eight years.
Casey Delaney, 30, of Denmark Close, Luton, Bedfordshire, met the girl through the social media platform Snapchat and was in contact with her from July 2023 until his arrest on 3 February 2024.
He manipulated his victim into sending indecent images of herself and booked a hotel room at a Premier Inn in Swindon, Wiltshire, to stay the night with the child.
During sentencing at Swindon Crown Court on Friday, a judge imposed a 20-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, stopping Delaney from having any contact with the girl, and he will be on the Sex Offender's Register for life.
Delaney was arrested after a call was made to Wiltshire Police from a concerned friend of the victim, who saw him walk into the hotel with his arm around the girl.
Messages found on Delaney's phone showed his intention had been to have sex with the girl, Wiltshire Police said.
'Taken innocence away'
In a statement read to the court, the victim's mother said she and her partner had noticed "upsetting and painful" changes in their daughter's behaviour in summer 2023.
"We were not aware of why this was happening at the time but now know this was due to her being groomed online by this man," they said.
"We were beside ourselves that our 12-year-old daughter felt she couldn't come to us and felt she had no other way but to end her life left us helpless as a family.
"He has taken the innocence away from our little girl. She will never get that back."
'Enormous trauma'
Det Con Geoff Newnham, of Wiltshire Police, said Delaney groomed his victim "meticulously".
"He manipulated a child into sending indecent images of herself before travelling to Swindon with the intention of raping her in a hotel.
"While the fact Delaney will spend years behind bars may offer some comfort to the victim and her family, his actions have undoubtedly caused an enormous amount of trauma," he added.
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