RELIEF FOR MOTHER AS PRITESHKUMAR PATEL SENTENCED IN HARROW

In December 2012, a mother expressed her relief following the sentencing of a man who preyed on her 12-year-old daughter. Priteshkumar Patel, 33, of Moorhouse Road, Harrow, received a sentence at Harrow Crown Court last Friday. He pleaded guilty to causing a child to view an image of himself engaging in sexual activity. The incident took place on March 31 of that year.

The mother, who requested anonymity to protect her daughter's identity, told the Observer, “There are children in some parts of society who are too afraid to speak out about this to their parents, though fortunately my daughter wasn’t. I want parents to be aware.” She revealed that she discovered her daughter had received numerous text messages from Patel. When asked, her daughter disclosed that he had sent her an explicit photo of himself.

She explained, “He never came near her, but it was done through text message and iPod Touch. I noticed something and knew something was wrong. The same day I reported it to the police.” The mother admitted she was initially worried about her daughter's privacy, but police reassured her that her identity would be protected.

Reporting the crime in March, she said, “It took some thinking on my part because I was worried about my daughter being identified, but the police reassured me she wouldn’t. It has been a long process, and I am really pleased that he has finally been convicted. I can finally move on.”

Patel was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for 18 months, and is required to register as a sex offender. The mother added, “I was hoping he would get a prison sentence, but it didn’t go that far. He got a suspended sentence because of his early guilty plea and it was his first offence.”

She reassured that her daughter is now doing well, saying, “She is OK now. She has been upset because she knew it was coming to court, but she is OK. She is very young now, but I worry about how she will feel about it in the future when she is older. However, she has been supported by her teachers and is doing well at school.”