Paedophile groomed 12-year-old girl in My Little Pony chatroom before abducting her

Bradley Fuller took girl to hotel even after police had arrested and bailed him on suspicion of grooming

Bradley Fuller (Greater Manchester Police)

A paedophile who groomed a 12-year-old girl via an internet chatroom before abducting and sexually abusing her has been jailed.

Bradley Fuller, of Beacon Road, Stockport, first contacted the girl as she used the online forum to talk about My Little Pony.

Even after police arrested him, the 24-year-old continued, upon release, to message the child before meeting her, taking her to a hotel and sexually abusing her.

He was sentenced to four years in prison on Friday after pleading guilty to abducting a child, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, two counts of making indecent images of a child and two counts of sexual activity with a child.

Fuller first started talking to the youngster online in December 2017 before progressing to text messages, Stoke Crown Court heard.

The conversations came to the attention of a police force in the south west after a friend of the girl who saw the messages informed her school’s safeguarding officer.

Fuller was arrested in May 2018 and his phone confiscated, which was found to contain sexually explicit texts and photos.

Despite his arrest, he remained unfazed and, after being released under investigation, took the child to a hotel and engaged in sexual activity with her.

Detective Sergeant Andrew Kindness, of Greater Manchester Police, said: “Fuller took advantage of an impressionable young girl for his own perverted gratification.

“He manipulated her into engaging in sexual conversations and exchanging indecent images.

“When Fuller saw that the net was closing on him, he took the unfathomable decision to abduct the girl – luring her away from family before sexually abusing her."

He added: “This was a shocking case and we are thankful that he is now behind bars.

“We hope that today’s sentencing gives the girl and her family some closure on their terrible ordeal and they can move forward with their lives.”

Fuller has also been issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years and has been forced to sign the sex offenders register for life.