Ian Della-Rocca

Ian Della-Rocca, a 39-year-old man from North Baddesley, Hampshire, was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court for a series of child sexual exploitation offences committed between January 2023 and November 2024. He targeted vulnerable teenage girls online, using Snapchat to initiate grooming and solicit indecent material in exchange for payments.

Della-Rocca's activities came to light following his arrest in November 2024, after he engaged in sexual communications with an undercover police officer posing as a 14-year-old girl. This operation, aimed at identifying predators on social media, led to a thorough examination of his mobile phone, which revealed nearly 1,200 indecent images of children. Further investigation uncovered that Della-Rocca had been in contact with three real teenage girls across the UK during the specified period, engaging in explicit conversations and paying them money for pictures and videos.

In one alarming instance, Della-Rocca met a 15-year-old victim in person and even drove her to school, demonstrating the extent of his grooming tactics. He admitted to three counts of paying for the sexual services of a child aged 13 to 15, possession and distribution of indecent images of children, and attempting to meet a girl under 16 following grooming.

On 9 January 2026, Della-Rocca, by then residing on Wilson Road in Chessington, Surrey, was jailed for six years and eight months. He was also required to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and received a 15-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order. PC Ollie Green from the Internet Child Abuse Team commented: 'The relentlessness of Della-Rocca’s offending is really shocking. He persistently targeted young girls online, going as far as to pay them to provide him with indecent images. Della-Rocca groomed and exploited these children for his own perverse gratification, and it is clear he poses a serious risk to children.' The investigation involved collaboration with policing colleagues across the UK, and the bravery of the victims was highlighted in securing the convictions.

The case was reported by the Daily Echo, based on details from Hampshire Constabulary's Internet Child Abuse Team.