June 2009 Paedophile admits grooming Wigan schoolgirl A paedophile admitted grooming a Wigan schoolgirl over the internet before sexually assaulting her. Adam Chapman, 25, confessed to molesting the 14-year-old youngster after police raided his family home looking for his father Dennis. Officers not only found Chapman Snr had downloaded hundreds of indecent images of children but also evidence his son had been grooming the teenager in a chatroom. When quizzed about the explicit sexual messages, Chapman Jnr admitted meeting the Wigan schoolgirl on at least three occasions and sleeping with her in a hotel room near Euston. Chapman first began chatting to the girl when she was 13 and told her: “I’d rather be in bed with you.” Peter Zinner, prosecuting, told Southwark Crown Court the relationship lasted for over a year, adding that “sad and lonely” Chapman was “infatuated” with the youngster. He added; “On March 29 last year a search warrant was issued in connection with the defendant’s father Dennis. “It was proposed to search Mr Chapman’s home address as a result of intelligence received. “An investigation revealed that he had been downloading child porn, for which he was subsequently cautioned. “During a search of the premises a number of laptops and computer equipment were seized. “Examination of the computers revealed somebody in the household had been in communication by internet chatroom back in 2006, until December 2007, with what appeared to be a female child.” On one occasion they met for “hugging” in a park in Liverpool. Another time they had “low level sexual contact” in Wigan. In July 2007 he collected her from her home town and took her the London hotel where they spent the night and had “sexual activity.” The court heard he ended the relationship at the end of 2007 after she started seeing other boyfriends. Passing a 12-month jail sentence suspended for two years, Judge Nicholas Lorraine-Smith told he ordinarily would go to jail. But he added: “This is an unusual case. On the one hand you befriended a vulnerable girl of 13 or 14 over the internet. “You took matters much further and spent the night with her. On the other hand you don’t seem to be in the usual mould of predatory adult. “It seems you really fell for this girl in a rather immature way. It is clear she didn’t want to tell police about the hotel incident and it is only because of your confession that this matter is before this court at all. “The fact remains that you desisted and it was only by chance that these matters all came to light, when police visited your home for entirely unrelated matters.” Shop worker Chapman, whose father was in the public gallery, wept throughout the hearing. He was further ordered to receive two years’ supervision, attend sex therapy, sign as a sex offender for 10 years, and was banned from working with children indefinitely. Chapman, of Swan Court, South Court, Isleworth, London, admitted meeting a child following sexual grooming and sexual activity with a child. He denied downloading 3,732 indecent images of children and the charge was allowed to lie on file.