Trans child rapist jailed
James Groves, 51, was convicted of 19 offences, including nine rapes, after grooming his victim over several years
A man who goes by the name “April” has been jailed for more than 20 years after grooming and repeatedly raping a young girl.
James Groves, 51, of Little Stoke, South Gloucestershire, was convicted at Bristol Crown Court of 19 non-recent offences, including nine counts of rape.
His grotesque catalogue of crimes included rape and sexual assault of a child, assault by penetration, possession of indecent images of a child, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and acts intended to pervert the course of justice.
The girl’s ordeal came to light after Groves was arrested over inappropriate communication with a child. She then disclosed that he had sexually abused and raped her over several years.
In a statement read to the court, she said Groves’ grooming had left her unable to understand the seriousness of what was happening, or to feel able to go to police.
“People have said to me that I am not the bright, bubbly girl I once was, and I am just a shell of my former self,” she said.
“I don’t remember chunks of my childhood because of what Groves did, and this is because of the trauma I have been through.
“I have lost my childhood because of what they did, and I will never get it back.”
Groves will be subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order when he is eventually released.
Detective Constable Ben Perrett, of Avon and Somerset Police’s Criminal Investigation Department, said Groves had followed a “calculated pattern of grooming designed to gain trust and exert control”.
He praised the girl’s “exceptional bravery” in coming forward.
“Her courage has been instrumental in securing this conviction and preventing further harm,” DC Perrett said. “I hope this result sends a clear message that we take offences of this nature extremely seriously.”