In 2021, Sam Harber, a then 30-year-old man from Sawtry, was jailed following a Cambridgeshire Constabulary investigation into the grooming and sexual abuse of a schoolgirl.
Sam Harber, of Cotton Close, Sawtry, was sentenced at Peterborough Crown Court to two years and eight months in prison. His conviction followed guilty pleas to multiple charges, including two counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a child, engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity with a child, and inciting a girl to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity. The court heard that Harber initially met the victim after offering assistance with a laptop, and thereafter initiated daily digital communication via Snapchat during July and August 2017.
Investigators demonstrated how Harber used online social media platforms to maintain contact with the victim before communications ceased in early 2018. Following disclosures made to police, officers launched an investigation that gathered sufficient digital and testimonial evidence to secure his prosecution. Detectives praised the victim for coming forward and assisting with the enquiry, highlighting the serious nature of digital grooming.
In addition to his custodial sentence, Harber was placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely. He was also made subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and handed a seven-year restraining order prohibiting any contact with the victim or witnesses.
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