Pervert is jailed for grooming schoolgirl

Jan 29 2012 by Rob Kennedy, Sunday Sun

The following clarification appeared in the Sunday Sun on February 5 2012:
A report in last week's Sunday Sun stated that Paul Leonard was jailed for grooming a schoolgirl. We said he was originally charged with various sexual offences against the girl, but jurors failed to reach verdicts and prosecutors decided not to seek a retrial.

However we’d like to point out that the alleged sexual offences which were the subject of the trial related to different alleged victims and not the child he pleaded guilty to meeting a child following sexual grooming. We apologise for the error.

---------------------------------------------------------

A PERVERT who groomed a primary school girl on the internet is today behind bars.

Twisted Paul Leonard befriended the girl on Facebook and started sending her disgusting messages.

The young victim’s mother saw the kind of messages Leonard had been sending her daughter, told him to stop and informed police.

Leonard was originally charged with various sexual offences against the girl but jurors failed to reach verdicts and prosecutors decided not to seek a retrial.

However Leonard, 49, of Byker, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to meeting a child following sexual grooming.

Locking him up for 15 months, Judge Michael Cartlidge, at Newcastle Crown Court, said: “The crux of the case is the defendant engaged with the girl in conversation on the internet which included plainly sexual conversation. The fact which stands out is that the girl was so young.”

The court heard the grooming came to light when the girl’s mother came across a Facebook conversation between her daughter and Leonard.