ALEXANDER TAYLOR, BOLTON, JAILED FOR GROOMING GIRLS ONLINE

In November 2011, a man known as Alexander Taylor from Bolton was sentenced to seven years in prison by Bolton Crown Court after being convicted of grooming and engaging in sexual activity with underage girls online. Additionally, he was placed on the sex offenders register for life.

Taylor, aged 34 and residing on Chapman Street in Bolton, was apprehended after an undercover police operation. An officer posing as a 14-year-old girl initiated a chat with him on November 17, 2009. Within ten minutes of starting the conversation, Taylor began sexualising the interaction. He and the officer agreed to meet for sex on December 10, 2009. However, when Taylor arrived at the designated meeting point, police officers from Greater Manchester Police’s Sexual Crime Unit were waiting for him.

Authorities had prior knowledge that Taylor had befriended a real 14-year-old girl in July 2009 through a social networking site, subsequently developing a sexual relationship with her. The girl and Taylor met in West Yorkshire on seven occasions between July and November 2009, with sexual acts occurring six times. She ended the relationship in November, and when Taylor was arrested in December, he called her and warned that she should not tell the police what they had done.

A search of Taylor’s home computer by the High Tech Crime Unit uncovered numerous email addresses, which officers subsequently contacted. The investigation revealed that Taylor had used chatrooms to meet a teenage girl with whom he had sex multiple times.

He was found guilty of several charges, including meeting a girl under 16 following sexual grooming, inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, six counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 15, and attempting to meet a girl following sexual grooming.

An example of his online activity included conversations that appeared to be casual chats but were actually part of grooming behavior. One such conversation involved a seemingly innocent exchange:

"Chat account 1: So what you doin today? I’ve gotta visit uncle who’s not well then nothin.

Chat account 2: Not goin school can’t be bothered.

Chat account 1: Cool well I’ll be free later :)

Chat account 2: Haha why what you doin 2day?

Chat account 1: Just runnin round after my uncle nearly done. Had chicken tikka for lunch well nice.

Chat account 2: cool.

Chat account 1: Maybe next time u have a day off we can have a blast together.

Chat account 2: What u end up doin yesterday?

Chat account 1: Just went Trafford Centre. How often u skip school?

The police revealed that while the conversation seemed light-hearted, it was actually a paedophile (Chat account 1) attempting to groom a girl online, believing she was 14 and from Manchester — in reality, it was an officer.

The GMP’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOPS) unit logs thousands of such conversations annualy exploring interactions where predators seek to manipulate vulnerable minors into sexual acts. Many predators engage in long-term online grooming to build trust before attempting to meet or abuse.

Detective Constable Laura Dixon from the Sexual Crime Unit commented: “Taylor’s pattern of behavior clearly shows his preference for young girls. Having already used the internet to groom and sexually exploit a girl he knew was underage, he continued to use chatrooms with the intent to meet another 14-year-old. Fortunately, this time, police were waiting for him.”

DC Dixon emphasized the importance for parents to take steps ensuring their children’s online safety, especially on platforms like MSN and other chat networks, to prevent similar incidents.