Man, 36, sentenced for child sex offences

36-year-old Andrew Stratford has been sentenced for child sex offences following incidents at the beginning of 2019.

Stratford, who also goes by the name Andrew Summers, previously of Northampton, befriended the 15-year-old girl on a gaming platform.

Although their contact began with conversations purely about the game, Stratford began to groom the girl, sending her sexual messages and requesting photos and videos, before the abuse escalated with him sexually abusing her in person.

Stratford was arrested and eventually charged with three counts of sexual activity with a child and three counts of possession of indecent images of children.

At Northampton Crown Court yesterday, he was sentenced to seven years and eight months in prison.

Lead Investigator, Detective Sergeant Colin Bowers, said: “Andrew Stratford used this girl’s interest in the game to get close to her and to then sexually abuse her. He knew what he was doing was wrong and yet he continued to do it.

“Northamptonshire Police takes cases like this extremely seriously and we will do everything we can, not only to bring people like Stratford to justice, but to get the survivor the support they need.

“The young girl in this case has shown real bravery throughout this investigation and I hope that the conclusion of this lengthy case offers her some semblance of closure and the ability to move forward.”