Reece Darton

Reece Darton, a 26-year-old man from Spixworth, Norfolk, was sentenced at Norwich Crown Court for embarking on a sexual relationship with a teenager nine years his junior. The offence occurred between June and September 2018, when Darton began seeing a 14-year-old girl known to social services.

The relationship was discovered by the victim's mother, who found a message on her daughter's phone saying 'hello beautiful' from an unknown number. The girl initially claimed the sender was an 18-year-old named Reece. Upon further investigation via social media, the mother realised Darton was older. Social services and police were informed, and officers visited Darton, warning him to cease all contact with the minor. However, Darton ignored the warning and continued the relationship, which became sexual by October 2018.

Darton appeared in court on Friday, June 10, 2022, having admitted three counts of sexual activity with a child. Judge Katharine Moore jailed him for three years, highlighting the significant age disparity and stating that Darton 'knew underage sex was wrong' and had been explicitly warned by police about the girl's age. In addition to the custodial sentence, Darton was placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for 10 years.

The case was handled by Norfolk Constabulary, underscoring the authorities' efforts to protect vulnerable children from exploitation.