MAN JAILED FOR USING YOUTHFULNESS TO TARGET UNDER-AGE GIRLS

A man named Rui Pereira, aged 24, who was 21 at the time of the offenses, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison after engaging in sexual activities with three under-age girls in Lincolnshire. Pereira used his small stature and youthful appearance to target and deceive the girls via social media platforms, including Snapchat, claiming he was just a few years older than them. He then arranged to meet them for sex. Pereira admitted to 19 sexual charges, which included six counts of rape of a child, sexual activity with a child, sexual assault of a child, sexual communication with a child, and possession of indecent photographs of a child. The police investigation revealed he had sex with three different under-age girls during the spring of 2022 and had contacted two others, with some evidence of indecent photographs. In addition to his prison sentence, Pereira received a sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order to prevent contact with the victims. During the court proceedings, victims expressed fear, trauma, and severity of psychological harm caused by Pereira's actions. One victim stated, "I don’t get to grow up like other kids. He took that from me," while others described him as looking young and using that to his advantage. Judge Simon Hirst highlighted that one victim had suffered severe psychological damage and emphasized the impact on all victims harmed by Pereira’s manipulative use of his appearance and social media to lure vulnerable girls.