COVENTRY MAN DANIEL FROME BRANDS CHILDREN'S WORST NIGHTMARE WITH SEX OFFENCES
In March 2014, a disturbing case emerged from Coventry involving Daniel Frome, a 26-year-old man whose actions have been described as "every parent’s worst nightmare" by the court.Frome was found guilty of attempting to lure schoolgirls into sexual encounters through a series of persistent and invasive text messages.
His actions, which took place primarily in October 2012, have shocked the local community and highlighted the dangers posed by online predators.
According to court proceedings held at the crown court in Leamington, Frome had engaged in a pattern of sending explicit photographs of himself to two of the young girls, in an apparent attempt to persuade them to meet him in person.
The charges against him included six counts of inciting children to engage in sexual activity, with each charge linked to contact made via his mobile phone with different victims.
The victims ranged in age from 13 to 15 years old, with five of them aged 15 and one aged 13.
Prosecutor Ben Close detailed that although Frome did not succeed in arranging any physical meetings, his efforts involved relentless attempts to meet the girls at a specific location by the canal, at designated times.
The court heard that his contact with four of the victims lasted for about a week before he ceased his efforts and sent a final abusive message.
However, his attempts persisted throughout the entire month with two of the girls, demonstrating a sustained pattern of harassment.
One of the victims, a girl who claimed to be 12 in an effort to deter him, received numerous calls from Frome—around 20 in total—though she did not answer them.
Her phone number was saved under the name “weirdo.” Similarly, he sent obscene messages to other girls, attempting to persuade them to meet him.
One girl, whose contact was saved as “freak,” received 33 calls from him in a single day.
His messages included explicit content, and he even sent a photo of himself, asking her to send a picture of her feet in tights, citing a foot fetish as his reason.
All the girls were initially under the impression that they were the only ones targeted, as they were asked to meet him wearing tights.
It was only after confiding in each other at school that they realized they were all receiving messages from the same phone number.
The police investigation revealed that Frome was responsible for the contact, as he was using the same phone he had previously reported losing earlier that year.
During the court hearing, Frome’s defense lawyer, Ian Speed, described him as a “vulnerable young man” who is inadequate and currently undergoing mental health treatment.
Despite this, Judge Peter Carr emphasized the severity of his actions, stating, “These girls were aged mainly 15, and all thought initially it was a bit of a joke; but it didn’t take very long for them to realize that what was happening to them was anything but funny.
And if you had spent just one second you would also have realised the terror it caused their parents.
In some ways, you are every parent’s worst nightmare.” As part of his sentence, Frome was handed a three-year community order, which includes three years of supervision.
He was also ordered to participate in a sex offender’s program, register as a sex offender for five years, and attend mental health treatment as required.
Additionally, the court imposed a restraining order preventing him from contacting the victims and a sexual offences prevention order for an indefinite period, aimed at protecting the community from further harm.
