January 2017 Facebook paedophile sentenced to 15 years in prison A ‘calculating paedophile’ from Henlow has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually abusing two 13-year-old girls – grooming one of them on Facebook. Mark Rayner, 45, from Oldfield Farm Road, was sentenced today at Luton Crown Court, after being found guilty of 10 sexual offences and one count of possessing indecent images of children. He had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing indecent images of children and one further sexual offence. Rayner met one of his victims on the social media site in 2013 encouraging one of the 13 year olds to send him indecent images of her. He was also in possession of a number of indecent images of other children on his mobile phone and computer. After hearing he’d been charged with sexual offences, a second woman then came forward saying she’d also been sexually abused by him on multiple occasions between 1999 and 2000 when she was also aged just 13. The woman told officers Rayner befriended her before going on to engage in sexual activity with her, despite knowing she was under the age of consent. Officers investigated and Rayner was subsequently charged with a further eight offences. He won both 13 year olds’ confidence by calling or messaging them, before arranging to meet them and taking them to secluded areas where he sexually abused them for his own sexual gratification. Despite some of the sexual activity being consensual, the girls were under the legal age of consent – a fact he was fully aware of. Det Con Mel Knight, who investigated the case, said: “This dangerous sexual predator took advantage of the young age of his victims by building a relationship with them then carrying out sexual activities with them, despite knowing full well they were under the age of consent. “More than 10 years after he abused his initial victim, Rayner decided to take advantage of yet another innocent teenager, using social media to calculatingly groom his victim, encouraging her to send indecent images of herself to him before sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions.” In the judge’s closing remarks Rayner was described as a persistent predator with an obsessive use of chat rooms, who used pure manipulation in order to prey on his victims who he knew to be underage. Rayner must serve a minimum of 10 years before being eligible for parole. He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and an extended licence period. December 2016 Henlow ‘sexual predator’ guilty of 14 child sexual offences A MAN sexually abused a 13-year-old girl in 1999 and groomed another young victim fourteen years later, Luton Crown Court heard today. Mark Rayner, 45, from Oldfield Farm Road, Henlow, was convicted of ten counts of sexual offences including meeting a girl following grooming, and one count of possessing indecent images of children. He had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing indecent images of children and one further sexual offence. Rayner met one of his victims on Facebook in 2013 and built a rapport with her online. He encouraged the 13-year-old victim to send him indecent images and was found to be in possession of a number of indecent images of other children. Upon hearing that Rayner had been charged with sexual offences, a second woman then came forward to say that she had also been sexually abused by him on multiple occasions between 1999 and 2000 when she was just 13. Officers investigated and Rayner was subsequently charged with a further eight offences. Rayner has been remanded in custody pending sentencing at a later date.