Jail for Gloucestershire man who raped child after grooming them on Xbox

A man from Brockworth who raped a child after he groomed her through Xbox has been jailed for seven and a half years.

Shaun Davies, 28, admitted to one count of rape of a child and child abduction.

Gloucester Crown Court heard they began having conversations on Xbox when Davies was 26 and the victim was 14.

He soon turned the conversation sexual, telling the girl how she should lose her virginity.

Davies, of Green Way, Brockworth near Gloucester alienated and groomed her by telling the child that he loved her and that no-one else did, and he encouraged her to run away with him.

In July 2021, he drove to the victim's home and took her away without her parent's consent.

While being driven away the girl was receiving phone calls from her concerned father saying that he would contact police, and Davies ignored them. He later disposed of the phone.

Davies drove north and found isolated spots where the court was told sexual acts took place. He was then raped the child in his car and told her to tell no-one else about what had happened.

In a victim personal statement, which was read in court, the girl said: "I will never forget the night he took me. I remember every single detail of that night – from his voice and how he spoke to me, to his hand on my lap the whole drive, to his smell and when he stopped the car.

"I don't know why he did everything he did to me when I said no. For some reason I couldn’t move and get away from him. What he did to me hurt me."

In her statement she also said how she thought it was selfish that Davies had waited two years to admit what he had done.

Davies was sentenced to seven and a half years for rape of a child and 27 months for abduction, to run concurrently.

He must serve at least two thirds of his sentence before being released on licence.

Judge Lawrie KC also gave Davies a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order and he will be placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for life.

During the hearing Judge Lawrie KC spoke directly to the victim's father who was in court, and asked him to pass on a message to his daughter that her courage is to be applauded.

Following the sentencing, DC Martin Hayward said: "Davies groomed a child, took her from her home and then raped her. His actions are abhorrent and the lasting impact this has had on the victim is clear from the powerful statement which was read out in court.

"I would like to commend her for how brave and courageous she has been, but also how patient she has been throughout this whole process. It has taken over two years to get to this outcome and I thank her and her family for working with us throughout."

If you have experienced rape, sexual assault or abuse, and wish to report the crime, contact police by calling 101 or 999 in the case of an emergency. You can also report online.

Gloucestershire Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre offers support for women dealing with the effects of rape and sexual abuse, which can be found on their website.

You can find more information on the support services here.