Man who set up fake account on Snapchat to groom and rape teenager is jailed

A 'dangerous predator' who raped a girl he groomed on Snapchat has been jailed for 12 years.

Shah Sikander, 36, from Warrington, used a fake photo to trick the 14-year-old victim into thinking he was a 22-year-old.

He also showered her with gifts before arranging to meet her in Lancashire where she was raped and then abandoned in Blackburn Town Centre.

The victim later told her family what had happened and Lancashire Police were called.

Officers quickly identified Sikander by using Blackburn's CCTV network.

He was arrested the following day and later pleaded guilty to rape, child abduction and sexual communication with a child.

Ordering Sikander to sign the sex offenders register for life and making him subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order, Judge Guy Mathieson described the defendant as a "dangerous sexual predator".

In her victim impact statement, the victim said: "I try not to think about what happened but when I do I cry.

"I find images can pop into my mind and I’ll be with my friends and suddenly be sad.

"It really lowers my mood.

"I really don’t know how to feel. He’s made me feel stupid.“

DC Jamie Robinson, from the Blackpool Child Protection Team, said: “Sikander is a very dangerous man who targeted a child and put her through a horrendous ordeal.

"However, he underestimated the resilience of that child, her supportive family, and our joint determination to bring him to justice."

"The victim in this case was completely innocent and was entitled to go onto social media and socialise without a sexual predator targeting her and subjecting her to a horrendous attack."

Police say the incident should serve as a timely reminder to both parents and children to be cautious when using social media and not to take everybody at their word.