June 2020 Pervert posed as a teenager to groom a 14-year-old girl online A man who posed as a teenager to groom a 14-year-old girl online has been jailed for five years after admitting child sexual offences. Neville Poole, 42, befriended the girl on social media and made up a profile of himself which included a picture of a teenage boy. Poole, formerly of Twitchell View, Sutton-in-Ashfield, groomed her by sending her money, music vouchers and clothes as well as buying jewellery and lingerie for her. He sent her indecent images and photographs of himself, persuading her to do the same which she had been reluctant to do. After they had been talking for several months Poole told her that he had lied about his age – but told her that he was 28. The girl, who can’t be identified for legal reasons, agreed to meet him and he travelled to her home town where he paid for a hotel and they had sex. Following that, she travelled from her home town to Sutton twice, after he bought train tickets for her. The matter was reported to Nottinghamshire Police after the victim learned of Poole’s real age and he was arrested shortly afterwards. He went on to plead guilty to 11 offences, committed between December 2018 and July, including meeting a child following grooming, causing a child to watch a sexual act, causing/inciting the sexual exploitation of a child, causing/inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and engaging in sexual activity with a child. As well as his prison sentence Poole was also made subject of a sexual harm prevention order. Not only had he created a false persona to attract her, he then used gifts and money to manipulate her. After Poole was arrested, it took three interviews before he confessed At first he denied ever meeting her, buying her anything or sending her money, despite her school photographs being found in his flat and the underwear he had brought her in his cupboards.