CHELMSLEY WOOD PAUL COTTON JAILED FOR SEXUAL OFFENCES INVOLVING UNDERAGE GIRLS IN TRAVELODGE

In a disturbing case that has sent shockwaves through the Chelmsley Wood community, Paul Cotton, a 45-year-old man from Lowerstack Croft, was sentenced to a lengthy prison term after being found guilty of multiple serious sexual offences involving underage girls. The incidents came to light following a police investigation that uncovered a disturbing pattern of predatory behavior targeting young females.

In January 2018, Cotton was convicted at Warwick Crown Court and subsequently sentenced to seven years in prison. The judge, Sylvia de Bertodano, described his actions as profoundly damaging to the victims, emphasizing the gravity of his misconduct. She stated, “This sort of behaviour has very, very serious effects on young children. They have been subjected to behaviour which will have an emotional effect on the rest of their lives.”

During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Cotton had engaged in highly inappropriate and illegal activities involving minors. He had filmed himself having sex with a 15-year-old girl in a Travelodge hotel room, where he had tied her up and blindfolded her without her consent or knowledge. This act was part of a broader pattern of exploitation, as police had previously discovered another 15-year-old girl at his residence after she had run away from home. The authorities found numerous photographs of both girls, along with images of other young females, some as young as 13, stored across multiple devices.

Prosecutor Graeme Simpson detailed the extent of Cotton’s misconduct, revealing that he initially denied all charges but later admitted guilt during a pre-trial hearing. Cotton faced multiple charges, including sexual activity with a child, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and possessing indecent images of minors. Specifically, he was convicted of taking indecent images of children and possessing a total of seven such images.

The police investigation uncovered that Cotton had a troubling history of online predation. He had targeted a 14-year-old girl from Essex through Facebook in 2013, engaging in inappropriate communication and exchanging naked pictures. When she was 15, he took her to a Travelodge in Essex, where he recorded their sexual encounter without her knowledge, with her wearing a blindfold. The images and videos seized from his devices included explicit photographs of other girls aged between 13 and 15.

Detectives also found that Cotton had a fascination with bondage, power, and control, which appeared to underpin his abusive behavior. The authorities traced the identities of three girls from the images, one of whom was a schoolgirl from Essex. The investigation revealed that Cotton’s actions had a lasting impact on his victims, many of whom were minors vulnerable to exploitation.

As part of his sentence, Cotton will serve a minimum of two-thirds of his prison term before being eligible for parole. Following his release, he will be subject to lifelong registration as a sex offender and will remain on license for an additional eight years. The court’s ruling underscores the serious nature of his crimes and the ongoing risk he poses to the community.