Kostyantyn Avdan, aged 30, a Ukrainian national residing in London, has been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment at Maidstone Crown Court after being convicted of grooming a vulnerable 14-year-old girl online and travelling to Kent to sexually assault her.
The court heard that Avdan initiated contact with the child using the social media application Snapchat. During their digital interactions, Avdan lied about his age by claiming to be 23 years old, and persisted in grooming the girl despite having full knowledge that she was a child. Throughout the communication, Avdan coerced the victim and demanded that she send explicit images of herself.
On 21 July 2022, Avdan travelled from London by rail to meet the victim in Gravesend. Upon meeting the child, Avdan subjected her to a sexual assault before walking her back to the train station. Following the physical attack, Avdan continued to maintain contact with the victim, sending further digital messages referencing sexual activity.
Under UK legislation, all victims of sexual offences are protected by lifelong statutory anonymity.
The matter was subsequently reported to Kent Police, prompting an extensive investigation during which detectives analysed hundreds of messages exchanged across social media and digital platforms. Avdan was traced, arrested, and formally interviewed in June 2023.
Throughout criminal proceedings, Avdan denied any wrongdoing and entered not guilty pleas. The case proceeded to a contested trial at Maidstone Crown Court, where a jury dismissed his claims and found him guilty of sexual communication with a child, sexual activity with a child, and causing a child to engage in sexual activity.
On 2 October, the presiding judge sentenced Avdan to a determinate custodial sentence of five years’ imprisonment. Avdan was also made subject to mandatory notification requirements on the Sex Offenders Register and handed a 20-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), placing stringent statutory prohibitions on his access to devices, internet usage, and future contact with children.
Image – Anonymous Artist Impression
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