The individual depicted is 23-year-old Dylan Sherratt, the Colne Paedophile, who is a convicted child molester and rapist.
He will not be seen on the streets of Colne in the near future following his sentencing at Burnley Crown Court on Friday, resulting in 16 years and 10 months.
In August 2023, Dylan Sherratt befriended and groomed a 12-year-old girl in Colne, subsequently raping her.
In his preliminary communications with her in August 2023, Dylan Sherratt solicited the victim to transmit intimate photographs of herself. He subsequently recognised that she was 12 years old and asserted that he would face consequences if she became pregnant.
Dylan Sherratt had designated his victim as ‘my’ in his phone and persisted in sending her sexualised messages.
CCTV video recorded Dylan Sherratt encountering the victim in Colne on 1st September 2023, during which he donned a balaclava to obscure his identity. The footage recorded Dylan Sherratt perpetrating a sexual assault on the victim.
The issue was reported to our investigators on 12th September when a friend of the victim alerted a school safeguarding officer to Dylan Sherratt’s conduct.
Dylan Sherratt was apprehended at that time on allegations of sexual assault. He responded with no remark to all enquiries posed throughout his police interrogation.
The woman recounted in two interviews that Dylan Sherratt had assaulted her sexually on two occasions: first in a wooded area and again behind a laundrette.
During the examination of Dylan Sherratt’s phone, our officers found a significant number of messages between the pair.
Those included countless messages where Dylan Sherratt was being sexually inappropriate towards the victim, others where he was being controlling and others where Sherratt made reference to being in a relationship with the victim.
In one conversation, he stated he had ‘hooked up with another girl’ but then continued, ‘ it doesn’t mean we can’t be mates with benefits’.
When referring to the victim meeting his cousin, Dylan Sherratt stated: “You tell him you’re 15, not 12,” and continued “, Don’t act like a child, act like an adult.”
The messages ended on 12th September 2023, when Dylan Sherratt stated: “I’m sorry and I really like you as a person, but I don’t feel a connection between us.”
He stated that they ‘would be better as friends’ and again referenced her age when stating: “right listen, you’re a twelve-year-old, yeah. I can’t be doing this anymore. It’s gonna get me in trouble. I can’t deal with it anymore.”
Sherratt’s behaviour did get him in trouble, and he was arrested on suspicion of raping a female child in November 2023.
Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, Dylan Sherratt, of Belgrave Road, Colne, was charged with rape, engaging in sexual communication with a child, sexual assault and making indecent photographs / pseudo-photographs of a child.
He pleaded guilty to all the offences when he appeared at the court at an earlier date.
And on Friday, Dylan Sherratt was sentenced to 10 years in custody, with a six-year and 10-month extended licence period after Judge Daniel Prowse deemed him to be dangerous. He was also made subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and was told to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.
In a statement to the court, the victim wrote: “Since the incidents, I struggle to control my emotions. I cry all the time, even at the smallest of things, and often feel very sad. I struggle to understand why I get upset or why I feel sad. I put this down to the incidents that happened with Dylan. I get angry at the people closest to me for no reason and often lash out at them. This makes me feel even worse as I know I have upset them, especially my grandma and grandad.
“I often get flashbacks about what happened to me. I also suffer from nightmares twice a week. I struggle to sleep after these nightmares or often wake up early, which then affects me at school.”
She added, “I am now 14 years old.
“I have been diagnosed with PTSD via referral through my doctor. I have been receiving counselling to help me try and deal with what happened with Dylan. I have been suffering from nightmares for months, which means I am tired most days. I get so tired and stressed, I get upset, and I get angry about what happened with Dylan. I have also missed a lot of school, which has started to have an impact on my education. I don’t want to go to school, as I get bullied after what happened with Dylan.”
DC Sarah Jones, of the East Child Protection Unit, said: “Dylan Sherratt is a dangerous and manipulative individual with a sordid sexual interest in children.
“His sordid behaviour has had a significant and long-lasting impact on the victim. Although the headlines will inevitably be about Sherratt, my thoughts are very much with his victim, who continues to show immense bravery.”
If you or someone you know has been the victim of a sexual offence, report it online via https://doitonline.lancashire.police.uk/ or call 101. You should do so knowing you will be believed, you will be listened to, and we will do everything in our power to put the perpetrator before the courts.
Ask for this Crown Court sentence to be reviewed and extended here – https://www.gov.uk/ask-crown-court-sentence-review
If you or anyone you know has been affected by the people highlighted on this website, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report to Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.