Jack Platt

Jack Platt, a 77-year-old man from Mossley, Greater Manchester, has been jailed for 45 months after admitting to grooming and sexually assaulting a teenage girl. The case, heard at Minshull Street Crown Court, detailed how Platt befriended the victim and her friends, inviting them to his home on multiple occasions where he provided drinks and engaged in increasingly inappropriate behaviour.

Prosecutor David Toal outlined the grooming process during the court proceedings. Platt would hug the girl after each visit, and on one occasion, he placed his hand under her shirt, unclipping her bra, which left her feeling 'creeped out'. The court heard that Platt had a history of sexual offences, with 17 previous convictions including sexual assault of a child and making indecent images of a child, for which he had previously served seven years in prison.

• Platt invited the girl and her friends to his house multiple times, offering drinks and hugs.
• During one visit, he gave her jewellery and asked intrusive questions about boyfriends and sexual experiences, stating he would 'treat them better' if they were his girlfriend.
• He showed her his aftershave collection before requesting a hug, then pushed her onto the bed, touching her thigh and breast, and kissing her on the lips despite her attempts to move away.
• The girl suffered a panic attack during the assault and believed Platt intended to rape her, as he repeatedly asked, 'Do you want it?'
• Platt eventually stopped, claiming he would 'never do anything without her wanting it', but the victim immediately left and reported the incident to police, providing screenshots of her visits.

Police investigations confirmed the allegations when they found the girl's nose ring in Platt's home, contradicting his denial that she had ever visited. In a victim impact statement, the teenager described feeling 'disgusted and weird, isolated and lonely', with the assault severely impacting her trust in people, relationships, friendships, and school performance. Her mother expressed profound guilt, stating, 'His actions made us feel inadequate as parents. We feel we have failed her, we feel extreme guilt. We see her so sad at times and we don’t know what to do to help her.'

Defending barrister Shannon Woodley noted that Platt had written a letter to the court expressing remorse for the delay in proceedings and the offences themselves. However, Recorder Alexander Leach KC remarked on Platt's lack of genuine remorse, saying, 'It’s clear you have shown very little remorse as to the impact on her [the victim] and her family.' In addition to the 45-month custodial sentence, Platt was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely, along with a restraining order.

The case was reported by the Manchester Evening News on 15 October 2025, highlighting Platt's long criminal history and the devastating effects on the victim. Greater Manchester Police led the investigation, underscoring the seriousness of child sexual exploitation in the region.