Wellesbourne man jailed for grooming and then sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl

He was jailed for six years and eight months and ordered to register as a sex offender for life
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A Wellesbourne man who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl after earlier grooming her and plying her with a line of cocaine has been jailed.

Stephen Lidzy denied supplying the drug, sexual activity with a child and inciting her to engage in sexual activity - but was found guilty after a trial at Coventry Crown Court.

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Lidzy (28), of Wellesbourne, was jailed for six years and eight months by Judge Anthony Potter, who ordered him to register as a sex offender for life.

Stephen Lidzy.Stephen Lidzy.
Stephen Lidzy.

Prosecutor Peter Cooper said Lidzy got to know the girl in early 2018 in Leamington and when he asked her how old she was, she told him she was 14.

A time came when he began contacting her on Snapchat and ‘either was or pretended to be supportive of her’ over problems she had.

On one day the girl messaged Lidzy while she was at school, and he responded with messages of support.

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After finishing school, she went home and, after getting changed, went into Leamington where she had a call from Lidzy at around 5.40 that evening asking to meet her.

He told her he wanted to talk to her about what she was going through, and he turned up in his car while she was with a friend.

The two girls got into the car and he drove them to a shop, as they sat in the car, he offered them a line of cocaine.

“Her friend refused, but she did sniff a line of cocaine, as did the defendant, and he then took them back to where he had picked them up, and dropped them off,” said Mr Cooper.

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Later in the evening the girls were drinking with friends when there was further phone contact between her and Lidzy who asked if she could meet him for half an hour.

Mr Cooper said: “She was happy to meet him and told [her friend] Steve wanted to meet her again, so they parted, and she met him by the bandstand in a park.

“He drove her to a park with bushes, she though it was Victoria Park in Leamington, although she later thought it might have been St Nicholas Park in Warwick.

“The defendant parked his car and turned the engine off and they chatted, and he asked if he could have a hug."

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As he did this, he touched her inappropriately.and then sexually assaulted her.

Afterwards Lidzy had another line of cocaine before taking her home.

The girl later told an older cousin about what had happened, and after the cousin discussed it with family members it was decided the police should be informed.

When the police interviewed the girl she revealed that after the events in the car, Lidzy had sent her a sexual image and had encouraged her to send him naked photos, added Mr Cooper.

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He accepted he had met the girl at a flat, but said he knew her to be 14, so was careful about communicating with her and only did so when his girlfriend was with him.

At first he claimed he had seen the girl and her friend, but that they did not get in the car – but then admitted taking them to the shop, although he denied giving her cocaine.

And he said he spent the rest of the evening at home with his girlfriend, and did not see the girl again that evening.

It was later found that his girlfriend had sent a text trying to contact him, and he then accepted spending time with the girl in his car, but maintained there was no sexual activity.