December 2012 Jail for man who groomed and assaulted young girls AN Atherstone man who raped a young girl and sexually abused others after “grooming” them over the internet has been jailed for nine years. And under a newly-introduced “extended determinate sentence”, Daniel Aaron Catcliffe will have to serve two-thirds of that period before he can be released. Judge Marten Coates also ordered Catcliffe to remain on licence for eight years after his release, during which time he will take part in a sex offender’s programme. Catcliffe, who also got some of the girls to pose naked or in their underwear for him in front of their computer webcams, will have to register as a sex offender for life and comply with a sexual offences prevention order. Catcliffe, aged 21, of Friary Road, had pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to a total of 20 charges relating to five girls aged from 12 to 14. The offences, which included rape, inciting girls to engage in intercourse, sexual assault, sexual grooming, inciting girls to send indecent images of themselves and making indecent images, took place between January 2008 and February last year. Judge Coates told Catcliffe: “You pose a risk of further offending unless you are successfully treated. Had there been a trial in this case the sentence would have been one of 14 years. But you pleaded guilty at the outset, and I am obliged to give you a substantial discount.” Catcliffe befriended young girls with a view to getting indecent images of them and sexually abusing them. He finally came to the attention of police last year after one girl confided she had received inappropriate messages from Catcliffe, who was a first-year student at Coventry University at the time. Officers then launched an enquiry which led them to his other victim and revealed “countless others” whose images he had downloaded. He contacted a further four young girls, all aged 12, three over the internet and one through text and convinced them to send him images of themselves in their underwear and naked. He met up with three of them, indecently assaulted two girls and kissed the other. The court heard of a large number of instances when Catcliffe had also made contact with other young girls whom he asked to send him photos and whom he assaulted when they met him. As well as the images he persuaded various girls to send him, Catcliffe also carried out internet searches for images of under-age girls and the court heard that 59 still images on Catcliffe’s computer were of level one (lowest in severity, with five being the highest). In his defence Samantha Leigh said: “Anything I say does not take away the hurt the victims have suffered. His mitigation has to be his age and guilty pleas.” Judge Coates said that it was “not a case where it is going to be easy to pass consecutive sentences” and that he wanted time to consider sentencing in relation to the other girls. He adjourned the case and remanded Catcliffe in custody.