Meeting a Child Following Grooming

Speak to our grooming offence solicitors now

For a free initial consultation subject to exceptions on your legal position and the available options with regards to allegations of meeting a child following grooming, please call 0207 624 7771.

For urgent advice at any time of day or night, please call our Emergency Number 07836 577 556.

You can also email: solicitors@jdspicer.co.uk or fill out our quick online enquiry form and we will get back to you quickly.

Why choose JD Spicer Zeb’s grooming offence solicitors?

It is imperative that you seek immediate legal counsel if you are accused of arranging to meet a child following grooming. No matter what your circumstances may be, or what the exact accusations you are facing are, our specialist team will be on hand to support you.

Grooming offences can often prove to be very complex, with many moving parts. Given the fact that prosecutors will typically need to rely on a range of evidence to bring forward a charge, having the right solicitor on your side can make all the difference.

When instructed, our solicitors will take action to defend your position. We will help to clarify your situation, exactly what the grooming offence allegations amount to, and what the potential outcome of your case will be.

As a firm, we have established ourselves as one of the country’s leading criminal law firms and have specialist expertise in defending individuals accused of a wide range of sexual offences. Previously, we have handled various high-profile cases, meaning we have the necessary experience to provide you with tailored advice that supports your case.

Our experience ensures we are able to use various types of evidence to support you with your case. This includes digital forensics. As specialists in this area, we work closely with leading digital forensics experts, including Cyfor, who provide efficient advice on the digital forensics aspect of the police investigation.

We also have close links with many of the country’s leading criminal defence barristers, who specialise in handling sexual offences, including meeting a child following grooming. This means that we are well positioned to support you and provide the strongest representation for any trials that take place as a part of your case.

We receive many referrals and recommendations from clients who have been satisfied with our legal services. This is a testament to our strong focus on client care.

Common questions arranging to meet a child following grooming

What is child grooming?

Child grooming, or sexual grooming, is the general term used to describe the act of building a relationship, gaining the trust, or emotionally manipulating a child to prepare them for a sexual act.

Communication that is carried out with the intention of sexual abuse will be considered sexual grooming.

What does the offence of meeting a child following grooming involve?

Meeting a child following grooming is a fairly self-explanatory offence. It is listed under Section 15 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

The offence is deemed to have been committed when an alleged offender meets with a child, travels with the intention of meeting a child, arranges to meet the child, or the child travels to meet the alleged offender.

What is the maximum sentence after meeting a child following grooming?

Meeting a child following grooming attract a maximum custodial sentence of 10 years. Sentencing Council indicates that the sentencing range of 1-7 years’ custody.

What evidence is needed to prove grooming?

For the prosecution to prove a grooming offence, they will need to refer back to various pieces of evidence. Typically, the primary evidence that the prosecution will rely on will include the exchange of messages on digital devices.

In the case of meeting a child following grooming, the prosecution may rely on geolocation data to prove that you were travelling to a certain location at a certain time.

What defences are available to grooming?

There are often likely to be a range of defences available to anyone facing an accusation of grooming. While these will often depend on the individual circumstances of the case, common defence strategies may include:

Factual dispute

One common defence strategy will be to demonstrate that the allegations of grooming are factually incorrect, or do not sufficiently fulfil the guidelines set out by the CPS, and are therefore not applicable.

Chat history

The written word is often open to interpretation. While the prosecution will usually look to rely on texts, emails and chatroom history as a part of their investigation, these messages can also be used as a valid defence strategy. Your version of the messages and the intent behind them may be different to how their prosecution have interpreted them.

The police may also seek to use any messages which are entirely innocent, but have small suggestions of criminality – even if they do not cross the line into criminality.

Gifts

Any gifts which are given to young people could be deemed to be a sign of grooming. Defences may rely on demonstrating that any gifts were not made with the intent of building any type of inappropriate relationship with a young person.

Fantasy and real intent

The lines between fantasy and real life can quickly become blurred. It is always important to consider whether any elements of the conversations that have taken place were simply a fantasy, as opposed to having elements with a genuine intention to meet.

Alternative offence

Evidence could point towards an alternative offence (which carries a less significant penalty) being more closely aligned with the allegations that have been put forward by the prosecution.

For instance, engaging in sexual communications with a child carries a maximum sentence of two years imprisonment, which also means any sentence handed down by the court could be suspended.

Entrapment

Entrapment involves an undercover police officer ‘encouraging’ the behaviour which is being prosecuted, in this case grooming. Entrapment is not usually a legal defence and the court will typically only consider stopping proceedings if the police have acted far outside their realm of jurisdiction.

Contact our grooming offence solicitors today

For urgent specialist advice, immediate representation, or to speak to us confidentially about allegations of arranging to meet a child following grooming, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our specialist grooming offence solicitors.

You can contact a member of our dedicated team of grooming offence solicitors in London, Birmingham, and Manchester by telephone on:

• City of London: 0207 624 7771 - our senior Solicitors and Partners can meet by appointment in the City.
• Brent & Camden London Office: 0207 624 7771
• Manchester Office: 0161 835 1638
• Birmingham Office: 0121 614 3333

Or email: solicitors@jdspicer.co.uk

Alternatively, you can fill out our quick online enquiry form, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

The Lucy Faithfull Foundation

If you are a victim of child sexual abuse or at risk of offending, please contact the Lucy Faithfull Foundation for advice.