RIDING STABLES WORKER JAILED FOR GROOMING TEENAGE GIRLS THROUGH HORSE INTERESTS
A Norfolk stable hand, Anderson Morales Ramon, found with hundreds of indecent images of children, preyed on teenage girls who shared an interest in horses and riding to lure them into sexual chats.He met two 15-year-old girls at the stables where he worked as an apprentice stable hand.
He sent explicit messages, asking one girl if she wanted to be 'best friends with benefits,' while suggesting to the other that they could have sex during a countryside ride.
Morales Ramon, now aged 32, was arrested in May 2019 after the girls confided in their school and reported him to authorities.
During police investigation, 224 indecent images of children were discovered on his laptop, including 33 of the most serious category A.
Additional prohibited images and videos involving animals were also found.
Prosecutors revealed that the messages began as friendly exchanges in January 2019 but became more explicit, including references to sex acts and soliciting nude pictures.
Morales Ramon also sent an image of his body to one girl.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual communication with minors and five related image offences.
He denied six allegations of child sexual assault, which were ordered to lie on the file after the prosecution presented no evidence.
The court sentenced him to 18 months suspended for two years, emphasizing he had shown 'substantial mitigation,' but warned that his actions were serious.
Morales Ramon was placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years and a sexual harm prevention order was issued, restricting his contact with children.
His case was presented in Norwich Crown Court.
The sentencing was delivered by Recorder Simon Taylor, who stated, 'That doesn’t excuse what you did,' and highlighted his age and mental health issues during mitigation.
The court's findings emphasize that Morales Ramon exploited his position as a stable yard employee to befriend young girls with shared interests in horses, grooming them for sexual abuse.
