SEB COE, KARATE INSTRUCTOR FROM STRATFORD-UPON-AVON, JAILED IN BIRMINGHAM FOR SEX OFFENCES INVOLVING UNDERAGE GIRLS

In June 2014, former firefighter and karate instructor Seb Coe, 38, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison after being convicted of multiple sex offences against underage girls. He targeted his victims by initiating relationships with their mothers. Coe, who previously resided in Sutton Coldfield and later in Stratford-upon-Avon, denied three counts of sex acts and three counts of incitement. However, a jury at Birmingham Crown Court took only two and a half hours to find him guilty following a two-week trial.

In addition to these charges, Coe was convicted of three counts of indecent exposure after he was caught flashing at neighbors from a bedroom window. It was revealed during the court proceedings that Coe had been dismissed from the West Midlands Fire Service for downloading pornography on his work computer.

Throughout the case, it was disclosed that Coe had sent over 1,600 text messages to his young victims. The judge sentenced him at Leicester Crown Court, also ordering him to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

A source close to one of the victims, who cannot be named due to legal restrictions, commented: “I will only be pleased if he is never allowed to be alone with young people again. We are just hoping the system is robust enough to deal with him when he is released from prison, so that he does not disappear and start this all over again. He is very charismatic and does not look like a monster, but he is a monster. He has moved all around the country in the past and changed his name—that cannot be allowed to happen again. We have a duty to protect children from vile sexual predators like him. The victims have shown incredible strength and courage to stand in court against him. I also believe there are many more young women out there who could be victims. The impact on their lives has been profound and will likely continue.”

A former colleague from the fire service, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Birmingham Mail: “His character really came out in all this. He was very charming with women—a bit of a charmer. He didn’t have much of a reputation in the service aside from his antics with women. But we never suspected him of anything like this.”

In May 2014, news reports highlighted this case as a serious concern, with Coe’s activities involving starting sexual relationships with the mothers of underage girls. One 14-year-old victim recounted how Coe’s texts became flirtatious before he sent her an inappropriate image of himself. He later told her he fantasized about having sex with her and even with pop star Rihanna.

It was only after she reported these incidents to the police that it emerged Coe had also sent explicit messages to two other young girls. Despite the guilty verdicts, Coe showed no visible emotion when the sentences were announced. He was cleared of one voyeurism charge. Coe’s sentencing was scheduled for June 13.