‘Depraved and sick’ Croydon pedophile who raped and sexually abused 4-year-old boy jailed

A pedophile from Croydon raped and sexually abused two victims in Kent, including a four-year-old, a court heard. Grant Venamore was jailed for 16 years for a series of child sex offenses in Tunbridge Wells and Paddock Wood spanning over a decade. He was arrested in August 2020 by Kent Police and sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Tuesday 18 June.

The 48-year-old predator, of London Road in Croydon, denied any wrongdoing and the case went to trial. He was found guilty by unanimous verdict on 11 counts of child sexual abuse, including multiple rapes. In sentencing, Judge Philip Statman concluded he was a dangerous offender responsible for “persistent and violent sexual abuse”.

It means he must serve two-thirds of his sentence before being eligible for parole and must complete an extended license period of three years. The judge also issued an indefinite sexual harm prevention order to protect the public.

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“Depraved and mean”

Detective Constable Tania Muller, from the West Kent Child Protection Team, said: “Venamore repeatedly subjected his young victims to depraved and sickening abuse, causing incalculable damage to their young lives. His actions not only had a destructive effect on their childhood, but will unfortunately leave a damaging and lasting impact on their adult lives.

“It took enormous strength and courage for these victims to come forward and provide the evidence and testimony necessary to ensure that Venamore now faces justice for these heinous crimes. threat to any other children.

“I would urge anyone who has been a victim of any sex crime to remember that it is never too late to report it to the police. We have a team of specialist officers who work tirelessly to ensure that criminals like Venamore do not escape justice just because a crime happened a long time ago. We will always treat any information with the utmost confidence and sensitivity.”

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