Kerien Rudland

Kerien Rudland, a 24-year-old resident of Alwold Crescent in Eltham, south east London, has been sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison for a series of child sex offences. Described by Sussex Police as 'without doubt a serious danger to children', Rudland's crimes involved grooming vulnerable minors online before escalating to physical sexual contact.

The primary offence centred on a 13-year-old girl from Brighton whom Rudland met online via Facebook. He began grooming her digitally, using manipulative language to build trust, before arranging to meet her in person on Sunday, 10 February 2019. During this encounter, Rudland engaged in penetrative sexual activity with the girl on Brighton Beach and later on a train en route back to London. The girl's family reported her missing that evening, prompting an investigation by Sussex Police's Brighton Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

• Police traced recent communications on the girl's PlayStation, linking her to Rudland's Facebook account.
• Intensive enquiries, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Police, located both Rudland and the girl at his mother's address in Eltham the following day.
• Rudland was arrested at 11am on 11 February 2019.

The girl was confirmed safe and has since received support from specialist officers and independent agencies. Rudland pleaded guilty at Brighton Crown Court on 27 November 2019 to inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, meeting a child following sexual grooming, and two counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a child. He pleaded not guilty to charges of abduction and sexual assault, which were directed to lie on the court file without further proceedings.

Additionally, Rudland faced separate charges stemming from an investigation by Humberside Police. In August 2018, he was arrested in Hull on suspicion of online offences committed from his family address there. Following a trial at Brighton Crown Court on 5 December 2019, he was convicted of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to engage in sexual communications with a girl under 16, and attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act. These involved communications with a decoy account posing as a 13-year-old girl, where Rudland used language strikingly similar to that employed with the Brighton victim.

Detective Sergeant Matt Stevens of Sussex Police highlighted the rapid progression of Rudland's offending: 'He began his offending online, quickly progressing to contact sexual offending with a child.' As part of his sentencing, Rudland was placed on the sex offenders' register for life and subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) that severely restricts his access to children and computers until further court order. The prosecution was authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) following the joint efforts of Sussex Police, Humberside Police, British Transport Police, and the Metropolitan Police.

Sussex Police emphasised their commitment through Safeguarding Investigation Units to protect children, prosecute offenders, and remove them from society. This case, reported by News Shopper on 30 June 2021, underscores the dangers of online grooming and the importance of vigilant policing in cross-jurisdictional child protection.