WREXHAM MAN JOSEPH TAYLOR SENTENCED FOR GROOMING YOUNG BOY
In October 2014, Joseph Gavin Taylor, a 19-year-old from Saxon Street, Wrexham, was sentenced to nine months in youth detention after admitting to sexually grooming a 14-year-old boy.Taylor acknowledged that he met the boy in October of the previous year after exchanging multiple text messages of a sexual nature and providing the boy with an expensive mobile phone.
The offence was brought to light when police found the teenager intoxicated in Wrexham town centre.
The boy, reported missing by care workers, was taken to the hospital by officers.
Upon inspecting his phone, officers discovered a series of messages from Taylor, arranging to meet and offering to pay the boy for sexual favours.
Taylor was also ordered to register on the sex offenders register for 10 years and was subject to a 10-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO), which prevents him from having unsupervised contact with boys under 16.
The victim chose not to cooperate or provide a formal statement, and Taylor’s plea, claiming that no sexual activity took place, was accepted in court.
Judge Rhys Rowlands stated, “There is no way of knowing whether that is true or not but it is on that basis that you fall to be sentenced.” The judge noted that although Taylor denied the offence, his intention was clearly to engage in sexual activity, evidenced by his willingness to pay and the expensive mobile phone he provided.
Judge Rowlands emphasized that he considered Taylor’s guilty plea and troubled childhood when sentencing.
Prosecutor Myles Wilson mentioned that despite the boy’s refusal to cooperate, the messages on his phone confirmed plans to meet, with discussions of various sexual activities costing between £60 and £200.
CCTV footage from Wrexham town centre showed the two together.
The police found the intoxicated boy in an alley, where he had staggered after becoming drunk.
This case highlights the serious nature of grooming offences and the court’s response to protect vulnerable minors.
