A FORMER HUMBERSIDE POLICE EMPLOYEE WHO HAD SEX WITH A 13-YEAR-OLD GIRL HE HAD GROOMED HAS BEEN JAILED FOR EIGHT YEARS
40-year-old Barnaby Cooper, who worked with the police in the customer service crime team, was found to have sent explicit messages and videos to a young girl.He admitted to nine offences related to child sex offenses in a court hearing at Hull Crown Court.
The court learned that Cooper had sexual contact with the girl on several occasions from August 2017 through March 2018.
His misconduct included exchanging cigarettes for sex, with the encounters taking place in multiple locations such as his vehicle, his bedroom, a secluded field, and Humber Bridge Country Park.
Prosecutor Charlotte Baines recounted that the girl remembered her relationship with Cooper initially feeling like that of a brother, but her feelings eventually turned to dislike.
Cooper, residing on Steeton Avenue in Hull, began contacting the victim regularly when she was just 10 years old.
His inappropriate actions came to light after his girlfriend discovered indecent images and videos of the girl stored on his laptop.
In police interview statements, Miss Baines said Cooper acknowledged his illegal activities, recognising the girl was underage.
Nonetheless, he argued that the situation was not clear-cut, claiming consensually and denying any coercion.
His defense lawyer, Stephen Robinson, described Cooper as genuinely remorseful and expressing sincere regret.
He pleaded guilty to six counts involving penetration of a minor, encouraging a minor to engage in sexual acts, performing sexual acts with a girl, and making her observe sexual activity.
