Stephen Arnopp

Stephen Arnopp, a 34-year-old paedophile from Nodeway Gardens in Welwyn, Hertfordshire, was jailed for 11 years and four months following his conviction for the rape and sexual abuse of a girl under the age of 13. The offences, which involved meticulous grooming and planning, were exposed through incriminating communications with his partner, Gemma Hill, who was also sentenced for her complicit role. Between January and June 2017, Arnopp and Hill exchanged graphic text messages outlining the abuse Arnopp would perpetrate on the victim and schemes targeting a second girl aged only nine.

Arnopp's grooming tactics included giving the young victim a mobile phone and sending her manipulative messages, often under the false identity of a schoolboy named James, to solicit intimate photos. This predatory behaviour escalated to Arnopp raping the girl twice on 5 June 2017. Despite the severity of the assaults, the victim initially confided in Hill, who urged silence to cover up the crimes. The victim's courage in reporting the abuse to her school led to swift action by Hertfordshire Constabulary, who arrested the perpetrators after the disclosure.

A search of Arnopp's residence uncovered the victim's underwear in his bedroom, solidifying the evidence against him. Prosecutor Kim Preston detailed the extent of the conspiracy at St Albans Crown Court, highlighting the 'sustained and significant planning' that characterised the offences. Judge Marie Catterson, acknowledging Arnopp's intellectual limitations but assessing him as posing a medium risk, emphasised the gravity of his actions. She noted the good fortune that prevented the second planned victim from suffering the same fate, stating, 'Fortunately, for her, there was no putting into action the abuse before police became involved.' The judge described the profound, long-term effects on the victim as 'incalculable, but... unlikely to be other than difficult and profound.'

Arnopp pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including two counts of raping a child under 13 (resulting in an eight-year consecutive sentence), two counts of conspiracy to commit sexual activity with a child under 13 (40 months concurrent each), one count of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity (four months concurrent), and one count of sexual activity with a child under 13 (eight months concurrent). A Sexual Harm Prevention Order was imposed, restricting his contact with children under 18 and unsupervised interactions with girls. During the hearing, Arnopp appeared distraught, holding his head in his hands, in stark contrast to Hill's impassive demeanour. This case, reported by Hertfordshire Mercury on 7 February 2018, illustrates the dangers of online grooming and the necessity of vigilant intervention to protect vulnerable children.