Leon Richardson, a paedophile from Mill Road, manipulated a teenage boy into engaging in sexual actions with his brother. He initiated communication with his victim over social media, with the exchanges becoming sexual after several days.
A 22-year-old transmitted sexually explicit photographs and videos of himself to the youngster and solicited reciprocation, which the boy complied with. Leon Richardson also convinced the child to engage in sexual acts with his younger brother, which were recorded and transmitted to Richardson.
Leon Richardson went on to request to meet the teenager under the guise of teaching him to play the guitar. The sexual messages continued for a few months, until 29 December, but were found after the boy’s parents checked his phone after he had become withdrawn and secretive with the device – with Richardson turning himself in to the police.
In a police interview, Leon Richardson again admitted the crimes and said he wanted help. At Cambridge Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child, causing a child aged 13 to 15 to watch or look at an image of sexual activity, causing or inciting a boy under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity and causing a boy aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity.
On April 4, he was sentenced to five years and four months in prison, with an extra three years on licence. Leon Richardson was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), to monitor future offending, which was ordered to run indefinitely. He must sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.