Richard Bosworth

A 41-year-old man from Coalville, Leicestershire, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for grooming and sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in Twickenham, south London. Richard Bosworth, who used a fake profile on the social media platform BeFriend to pose as a young teenager, targeted the victim online and built a relationship with her over approximately one month before arranging to meet.

The court at Kingston Crown Court heard that on 19 September 2024, Bosworth drove more than 125 miles from his home to pick up the girl in the early hours of the morning. He then committed two counts of rape and seven additional sexual offences, including sexual assault, against her. The abuse came to light five days later when the victim confided in her school friends, prompting her mother to contact the police on 24 September 2024.

Investigators from the Metropolitan Police Service faced challenges due to the limited evidence on Bosworth's fake profile, but they traced the phone number linked to it. By analysing mobile phone mast data, they tracked the device's movements towards the victim's location. This was corroborated with CCTV footage showing a vehicle matching Bosworth's car passing through relevant areas en route to Twickenham. Bosworth was arrested at his home in Coalville on 1 October 2024.

• Bosworth admitted to the charges prior to trial.
• The grooming involved deceptive online interactions to gain the girl's trust.
• Police commended the victim's cooperation, which was pivotal in securing the conviction.

Detective Inspector Kieran Curry, who led the Metropolitan Police investigation, stated: "Her and her family’s cooperation has put this dangerous predator behind bars. Bosworth travelled from Leicestershire to abuse his victim in Twickenham. He is a devious offender, who ensured he left very little evidence for police to pursue. It is a testament to our investigative teams that they succeeded in identifying Bosworth, combing over large amounts of CCTV evidence and phone data in order to apprehend him and secure a conviction." In addition to his custodial sentence, handed down on Tuesday, 4 March 2025, Bosworth will be required to register as a sex offender for life.

The case underscores the dangers of online grooming and the effectiveness of digital forensics in tackling such crimes, as reported by the Evening Standard on 6 March 2025.