Luton paedophile groomed 13-year-old while posing as teen boy online

A paedophile from Luton has been jailed for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl he had met while pretending to be a teenage boy on social media.

Dean Tutt, 29, posed as a minor online to groom his then 13-year-old victim.

Tutt had first followed the victim on his own Instagram account. – but she blocked him as he was older than her and he would not stop trying to contact her.

But Tutt then posed as a teenage boy called ‘Ryan’ and added her on Snapchat, where they started messaged one another. The predator even created a fake account for ‘Ryan’s’ sister on Instagram, so he could continue messaging her on another platform.

Tutt groomed his victim online for months - telling the victim that he loved her, sending her pictures and asking for pictures in return.

But he threatened her when she did not do what Tutt wanted, and when the victim realised that ‘Ryan’ and Tutt were the same person, he threatened to hurt her and her friends.

She was coerced into meeting Tutt in his car, who drove her to a rural location and sexually assaulted her. She told him to stop, but he would not and he kept saying he loved her and did not want her to leave.

The victim’s mum reported to police that her daughter had engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old boy – but police enquiries traced the suspect’s phone number to Tutt, of Winchester Gardens, Luton. Police were then able to trace messages between Tutt and the victim.

A jury unanimously found Tutt guilty of meeting a child following sexual grooming and engaging in sexual activity with a child.

He had previously pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child.

On June 22, Tutt was jailed for five years at Luton Crown Court. He will also have sexual harm prevention order and be placed on the sex offenders register.

Michela Zasada, from Bedfordshire Police’s Internet Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: “Tutt hatched a devious scheme to groom and sexually exploit a teenage girl. The level of deception Tutt engaged in was awful, without even mentioning his threatening and predatory behaviour.

“Law enforcement has dedicated teams scouring the internet to stop people like Tutt abusing and exploiting children online. However, we would always encourage parents and carers to ensure their children know the risks and take steps to keep themselves safe online.”

For more information and support visit Bedfordshire Police's website.