In 2014, the Offender Database reported that Nicholas Cheese, then 26, formerly of Oxford, Oxfordshire, was sentenced to 17 years in an American court following a “vile” and “vicious” campaign of international grooming and sexual assault. Cheese targeted a 12-year-old girl in a Harry Potter internet chat room in 2012, eventually travelling to Bangor, Maine, in 2013 to carry out “sickening” sexual acts in a motel room. The investigation revealed that Cheese recorded the assaults and subjected the child to a “serious” and “aggressive” range of sexual experiences that the court reported many adults would refuse to explore.
The horrendous details emerged after the girl’s parents contacted law enforcement, leading to the discovery of sexually explicit photos and videos on Cheese’s cellphone and iPod. Upon his arrest, he callously admitted to knowing the victim’s age and having previously pestered her for nude material. Simultaneous investigations by Thames Valley Police in the UK uncovered a further “vile” stash of child abuse images on his home computer in Oxford, highlighting a serious and “depraved” commitment to the exploitation of children.
Despite the 17-year sentence handed down in the United States, Nicholas Cheese was released after serving just five years in an American federal prison. Following his release in 2019, he was swiftly extradited back to the United Kingdom to face the remainder of his legal obligations and undergo monitoring as a free man in the community. He is reported to be currently residing in Exeter, Devon, where he is subject to the highest level of supervision to prevent any further predatory behaviour within the local community.
As a result of his convictions for sexual assault and the production of child abuse material, Nicholas Cheese is ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life. He is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Devon and Cornwall Police, ensuring his movements in Exeter and the wider Devon area are strictly curtailed. Any further vicious behaviour, attempts to access chat rooms, or contact with minors will result in his immediate arrest and return to custody.
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