Olivier Leger

A former police officer from France has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for sexually abusing a teenage boy he groomed online. Olivier Leger, aged 39 and residing in Newington, Kent, met the 13-year-old victim in an internet chatroom and manipulated his way into the boy's life, even deceiving the parents to gain further access.

The case was heard at Maidstone Crown Court, where prosecutors detailed how Leger, who had previously served in the French police, arranged to meet the boy after building a relationship online. Isobel Ascherson, prosecuting, explained that the boy was willing to meet Leger without pressure, but the encounters escalated quickly. Leger took the teenager to swimming baths and sexually assaulted him there. On two subsequent occasions, Leger committed further sex acts with the boy, and later had brief sexual intercourse with him.

Leger's deception extended to the victim's family. He visited the boy's home and fabricated a story about having a terminally ill son, requesting permission to take the boy to London's Great Ormond Street Hospital to visit the supposed child. Ascherson described this as 'a lie to get further access to the child and be alone with him.' The parents grew suspicious and alerted the authorities, leading to Leger's arrest.

Upon searching Leger's computer, police discovered 783 indecent images of children, categorised at levels one to four on the scale used by authorities (with five being the most severe), along with one level-two video clip. Leger pleaded guilty in February 2010 to four charges of sexual activity with a child and nine charges of possessing indecent images of children.

Judge Philip Statman, presiding over the case, highlighted the manipulative nature of Leger's actions during sentencing on 7 January 2011. 'This ruse allowed you to perform sexual activity with the victim,' the judge stated. 'It seems to me that highlights the manipulative and devious conduct of which you are undoubtedly capable.' He acknowledged that the teenager was exploring his sexuality but emphasised that Leger knew the boy's age from the outset and understood the gravity of his actions.

In addition to the custodial sentence, Leger was placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely and subjected to a sexual offences prevention order for 10 years. He was also banned from working with children, and Judge Statman recommended sex offender treatment, either in prison or on licence. The case was reported by KentOnline, underscoring the dangers of online grooming and the importance of parental vigilance.