In 2018, the Offender Database reported that Brett Ashley McLaughlan, then 25, formerly of Lister Avenue, Rawmarsh, Rotherham, was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court. McLaughlan was jailed following a trial for the rape of a 12-year-old girl, an offence committed as part of a broader campaign of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham.
The court heard that Brett Ashley McLaughlan raped the victim in 2015. His co-accused, 20-year-old Ben Chivers, had already been sentenced to ten years in prison in November 2017 after admitting to multiple sexual offences against three different victims. While Chivers targeted and groomed the girls on social media, the court found that McLaughlan played an active role in the abuse of the 12-year-old.
Detective Sergeant Gareth Gent of South Yorkshire Police explained that the predators groomed their victims with claims of affection and targeted attention. Despite the girls making their young ages clear via social media and in person, McLaughlan and Chivers continued the exploitation. McLaughlan’s refusal to accept responsibility for his actions forced the young victim to endure a painful trial process before he was eventually found guilty by a jury in October 2017.
Judge Jeremy Richardson QC sentenced Brett Ashley McLaughlan to eight years in prison. In addition to the custodial sentence, McLaughlan was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to restrict his activities upon release. The judge described the offence as a “truly horrifying” crime against a very young child.
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