NIGEL PREISS FROM YARDLEY SENTENCED FOR HORRIFIC CHILD RAPE IN BIRMINGHAM

In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Yardley and the wider Birmingham area, Nigel Preiss, a 31-year-old man, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison for the heinous sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl. The court heard how Preiss, who was a known former mental patient, engaged in a prolonged campaign of grooming and assault against the young girl, beginning in November 2004 and continuing until March of the following year, just after her 13th birthday.

Preiss's sinister actions included bombarding the girl with explicit text messages, showing her pornography, and luring her to his residence where the abuse took place over a period of four months. The court was told that he used manipulative tactics to silence her, threatening her with death should she reveal his identity as a child abuser. His actions were described as a calculated effort to exploit the girl’s vulnerability, taking advantage of her naive and timid nature.

Judge Estelle Hindley QC, presiding over Birmingham Crown Court, sentenced Preiss and stated, “You have taken this girl’s childhood away.” The severity of the crime was underscored by the judge’s remarks, emphasizing the profound impact of Preiss’s actions on the young victim’s life.

Following the sentencing, the victim’s father, aged 41, expressed his deep anger and heartbreak. He revealed that his daughter was now under constant care after attempting to overdose on paracetamol multiple times. The father voiced his desire for harsher punishment, saying, “Preiss will be out in a few short years but the scars of what he did to my daughter will never leave her.” He added, “She wakes up and sees him. She has needed counselling and has taken nine overdoses in the last three months. After what he did to my daughter, I wanted him to rot in jail for the rest of his life.”

The court proceedings detailed how Preiss exploited the girl’s vulnerability, calling her a “sexy little angel” and even suggesting she could live with him when she turned 17. Prosecutor Jonathan Challinor highlighted the manipulative nature of Preiss’s conduct, emphasizing that he took advantage of a girl described as young for her age, naive, shy, and immature. The evidence presented included explicit texts, pornographic magazines and videos, and gifts that Preiss used to entrap her.

Preiss admitted to two counts of raping a child under 13, two counts of sexual assault on a child under 13, and one count of engaging in sexual activity with a child. He was acquitted of a third rape charge but was ordered to register as a sex offender for life. His defense attorney, Paul Farrer, described Preiss’s guilty pleas as “brave,” asserting that the admissions spared the girl the trauma of giving evidence in court.

Overall, the case has left a lasting scar on the community, highlighting the dangers of grooming and the importance of vigilance in protecting vulnerable children from predators like Nigel Preiss, whose actions have caused irreparable harm to his young victim and her family.