In 2024, the Offender Database reported that Leah Dane, then 44, of Kent, was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court for the predatory abuse of a young schoolgirl.
Leah Dane was jailed for four years and nine months after pleading guilty to engaging in penetrative sexual activity with an underage girl. The court heard that Leah Dane carried out repeated sexual acts over several months, having manipulated the victim into believing they were in a romantic relationship.
The prosecution, led by Paul Valder, presented evidence of messages exchanged between Leah Dane and the victim, which confirmed the grooming process and the child’s belief in their “relationship.” In a calculated effort to evade justice, Leah Dane had persuaded the girl to delete these messages and initially told police officers that the allegations were “all lies.”
The abuse was only uncovered after school teachers were alerted to the situation, leading to Leah Dane’s arrest and a subsequent investigation by Kent Police. Despite her initial denials, she changed her plea to guilty in September 2024 at Canterbury Crown Court, shortly after a scheduled trial had been delayed.
Judge Simon Taylor KC ordered that Leah Dane serve at least two-thirds of her sentence in custody before being eligible for parole. In addition to her prison term, she was made subject to a 10-year restraining order protecting the victim, a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), and must register as a sex offender for a duration of ten years.
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