Ryan Heart

Ryan Heart, a 35-year-old man from Birmingham, owned a toy shop in the Peak District and used his position to befriend vulnerable women who visited to purchase items for their children. Having previously been convicted in 2012 for sexual offences against a woman in the West Midlands, where he received a prison sentence and a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), Heart resumed his predatory behaviour after the order expired in 2022.

Heart targeted financially struggling mothers, gaining their trust through offers of financial assistance. In one instance, he groomed a mother and sent explicit messages to her 14-year-old daughter, placing his head in her lap on two occasions while making sexual comments. He also propositioned two 16-year-old victims to perform sex acts in exchange for cash. Another victim, a woman in her 20s searching for a specific toy, provided her phone number to Heart, who then bombarded her with messages offering loans. During one encounter at his shop, he inappropriately touched her breast and later messaged her proposing £1,000 in exchange for an image of her six-year-old daughter in underwear.

The offences came to light in August 2022 when Heart's partner raised concerns about his inappropriate relationship with one of the 16-year-old girls, prompting a report to Derbyshire Police. Heart was arrested and interviewed multiple times as additional victims came forward. Initially pleading not guilty, he changed his plea on the day of trial, admitting to charges including sexual communication with a child, two counts of sexual activity with a child, paying for sexual services of a child, attempting to pay for sexual services of a child, sexual assault, and attempting to incite a child into sexual exploitation.

Heart later attempted to vacate his guilty pleas via an application on 29 September 2025, but this was dismissed by a judge on 18 December 2025, who remanded him into custody. On 19 March 2026, at court, Heart was sentenced to nine years in prison with an extended licence period of four years. The judge also imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and five-year restraining orders protecting the victims.

Detective Constable Gail Flavell, the investigating officer from Derbyshire Police, described Heart as 'an extremely manipulative individual, who not only exploits vulnerable women and children for his own depraved sexual gratification but also attempts to play the system and authorities in any way he can'. She praised the victims for their 'real courage' in coming forward, noting that their support, along with witness statements, was crucial to securing justice. The case was reported by the Derbyshire Times on 26 March 2026.