LINCOLNSHIRE MAN DANIEL POTTERTON SENTENCED FOR GROOMING AND SEXUAL ABUSE IN BOSTON AND SOUTH TYNESIDE
A disturbing case involving a young girl from Lincolnshire has culminated in the imprisonment of Daniel Potterton, a 20-year-old man from Kirton, Boston, who was found guilty of grooming, abducting, and engaging in sexual activities with a 14-year-old girl.The incident, which spanned several weeks, has shocked the local community and highlighted the dangers of online predators targeting vulnerable minors.
According to court reports, Potterton first initiated contact with the girl in June by adding her on Snapchat, a popular social media platform.
What began as casual chatting quickly escalated into a dangerous grooming process.
Concerned about her safety, the girl’s parents confiscated her phone after noticing suspicious interactions.
In response, the girl reacted violently, damaging her home and shouting profanities, prompting them to contact the police for assistance.
This sequence of events marked the beginning of a harrowing ordeal.
Despite the restrictions imposed by her parents, Potterton drove from Lincolnshire to South Tyneside, where he contacted the girl again near her residence.
Under the cover of darkness, the girl left her home and met him in his Vauxhall Corsa, during which she turned off her phone’s GPS to avoid detection.
During this clandestine meeting, the girl, who was a virgin, engaged in sexual activity with Potterton inside the vehicle.
This act of betrayal and exploitation was part of a series of encounters that continued over the following weeks.
The girl’s parents reported her missing when she failed to return home.
When she finally did, she was found with love bites and appeared to be obsessed with Potterton, refusing to cooperate with medical examinations.
She insisted she was in a relationship with him, which alarmed her family and raised concerns about her mental and emotional well-being.
Court proceedings revealed that she had even asked her parents for permission to go away with Potterton for ten days, claiming she needed her passport to travel to France, and seemingly did not recognize the severity of her actions or the danger she was in.
Prosecutor Glenn Gatland detailed the extent of Potterton’s reckless behavior, stating, “He said he was going to prison anyway so he might as well do it again.” The police observed Potterton’s car crossing Wearmouth Bridge on August 2, with the girl inside, leading to his arrest.
The investigation uncovered that Potterton had traveled long distances from Lincolnshire to meet and exploit the young girl repeatedly.
During the court hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, the impact of the crime on the victim’s family was vividly expressed.
The girl’s mother described her emotional devastation, saying, “It has caused me to feel like I’m having a nervous breakdown, I feel weighed down and I feel like a zombie.” She explained that her daughter’s behavior had become manic and reckless since the incident, with her constantly searching for her phone and disregarding her safety.
The mother expressed heartbreak over the disruption to their family life, stating, “We have taken her phone off her and she is always searching for it.
She will do anything and everything to get what she wants.
She has turned the whole family’s world upside down.
I feel broken and all our hearts are breaking.” Her father added that they had to put locks on every door except the bathroom, describing their home as feeling like a prison, as they tried to prevent her from accessing bank cards or other means of communication.
The court heard that Potterton pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including child abduction, two counts of sexual activity with a child, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, and meeting a child following sexual grooming.
Further disturbing details emerged when Potterton returned to the North East for a second time, and the girl was found missing from her room in the early hours.
When her mother discovered she was not in her bed, police were called, and she was eventually found returning home at 5 a.m.
The court was told that Potterton’s actions demonstrated a blatant disregard for the law and the well-being of the young girl.
Judge Christopher Prince addressed the court, emphasizing the profound impact on the victim’s family.
He stated, “(The girl) bears a deep resentment (to her parents) notwithstanding their efforts to do everything they can to try to help.
The effect on them has been profound and distressing.
They are quite simply utterly at their wits end at their inability to do more to help her.
You were fully aware of what you were doing and fully aware you were breaking the law yet you took the most cynical view that as you were going to prison anyway you would engage in sexual intercourse with her a second time.” Steven Reed, representing Potterton, argued that his client was of previously good character and that his immaturity contributed to his offending.
However, the court sentenced Potterton to six years in prison, with additional orders requiring him to sign the sex offenders register for life, adhere to a sexual harm prevention order indefinitely, and remain under a restraining order to protect the victim from further contact.
Detective Sergeant Jodie Faulkner of Northumbria Police commented on the case, saying, “This is a very upsetting case that saw Potterton target his underage victim on social media before sexually exploiting her over a number of weeks.
His behavior has had a shattering impact on both his victim and her family.
I sincerely hope his conviction in court offers them some comfort.
As soon as we were made aware of this case, we were determined to apprehend Potterton, who had been traveling long distances from Lincolnshire over several weeks to carry out his exploitative actions.”
