Paedophile Kettering shop worker groomed girl with sweets

Paedophile Jailed for Grooming and Abusing Teenage Girl

A paedophile who groomed a teenage girl by giving her sweets before sexually abusing her has been jailed.

Shibin Vimala Santhakumar, 45, of Pipers Hill Road in Kettering, was a shop worker who would give the girl extra change and free confectionery and soft drinks.

He then sexually abused her before the victim reported the offences to Northamptonshire Police.

Santhakumar initially denied the allegations but was charged with three counts of sexual activity with a child, four counts of inciting sexual activity with a child and two counts of possession of indecent images of children.

He pleaded guilty to some offences before his trial and was convicted of all remaining charges by a jury.

At Northampton Crown Court, he was jailed for 11 years, with a further two years on licence.

Lead investigator Detective Constable Chris Waterfall, from Northamptonshire Police's child protection team, praised the victim's courage and said her support was vital to their investigation.

"This case shows that sexual offences against children do not often start with an immediate offence. Santhakumar gradually built trust with this girl through offering her free items and money off her purchases. It then escalated into this abuse," Waterfall said.

"I welcome the sentence handed out to him as it means there is one less sexual predator on our streets and one less person able to harm children. I hope this result shows the seriousness with which Northamptonshire Police takes these offences and I want to reassure the public that we will continue to work hard to bring people like Santhakumar to justice."