He thought he’d got away with it but he had no idea what brave schoolgirl had done

A quick-thinking teenager bravely took action when she realized she was in danger and saw her abuser jailed for life

Former police special constable Stephen Godridge groomed his victim over Snapchat before raping her in his car. The 31-year-old had only been released from prison months beforehand, after he had exploited two other youngsters in strikingly similar circumstances.

Trevor Parry-Jones, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court this week: “The prosecution submits that this defendant is a sophisticated, predatory paedophile whose intent was to satisfy his predilection for sexual activity with teenage girls. He sought out underage girls using social media, in this case Snapchat, purporting to be much younger at 23.”

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The court heard that Godridge sent the 14-year-old complainant a friend request on the platform before persuading her to send him pictures of herself in her underwear. He then drove to Liverpool from his home in Bolton in order to collect her in his car, after which he took her to Manchester to watch him play football.

Having returned to Merseyside during hours of darkness, the pervert escorted his victim to a car park at Breckside Park in Anfield where he sexually assaulted and raped her in the back seat as she “told him to stop throughout”. She had taken pictures of the inside of his vehicle during the journey due to her “concern and apprehension” using her mobile phone.

Mr Parry Jones added: “She describes that throughout the car journey she became frightened and began to take photographs of both the car and the route map, as if she knew something untoward might happen. Her fears were indeed correct.”

This ultimately led to Godridge’s arrest after automatic number plate recognition technology confirmed that he had visited the area. During the interview, he claimed that he “believed that she was not underage” and alleged that the teenager had told him that she was 17 before they engaged in consensual sex.

In a statement which was read out to the court on her behalf, she said: “I find it hard to do normal things like go to the shop. I hate being by myself, it just scares me.

“I’m scared that someone is going to come into my house and get me. I just can’t stand being alone.

“I feel so vulnerable that it’s just going to happen again. I don’t go out much any more.

“This incident repeats in my mind on a constant replay. I’m scared he could hurt me or my family again.

“What this man did to me has had a big impact on my life. I’m scared for my future and how this is going to affect the rest of my life.”

A statement from the girl’s mum added: “She doesn’t leave her bedroom and she doesn’t go out. He has stolen my little girl.”

Godridge, of Southfield Street in Bolton, was said to have “perfected his method over many years prior”, having received 57 months behind bars at Preston Crown Court in 2019 after being convicted of two counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child. In “exactly the same modus operandi” on this occasion, he befriended two 15-year-old girls separately on Snapchat while purporting to be aged 19 and 22 then sent them lewd images of himself and had sex with them in his car in secluded locations .

Reports from the time detailed how Godridge, who was also handed a sexual harm prevention order banning him from having contact with girls under the age of 16, previously served as a special constable with Greater Manchester Police before he was suspended from duty after being arrested in October 2016. He later resigned from his role with the force and was released from his sentence four months prior to his latest offending.

Keith Harrison, defending, told the court: “My submission is that it is not necessary to pass a life sentence. If you impose a sufficiently long determined sentence, that can often achieve the same result.

“The facts are the facts. This happened very soon after his release.

“In my submission, a life sentence should be reserved for much more serious cases. It is not absolutely necessary in this case.

“I concede that there should be an extended sentence of an appropriate length. He will not be released until he has proven that it is safe to do so.

“There will be a sexual harm prevention order as well. Those elements combined may mean that a life sentence is not necessary in this case.”

Godridge was found guilty of two counts of rape, sexual assault, two charges of assault by penetration and breaching a sexual harm prevention order by a jury following a trial. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool, he was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 10 years and eight months on Friday.

Sentencing, Judge Gary Woodhall said: “You were deliberately using Snapchat as a platform to identify young girls for sexualised contact. I am satisfied that you were looking for girls you could meet with, isolate and then engage in sexual activity.

“You elicited intimate information about her personal circumstances, no doubt to help you to identify whether she was a suitable target and whether she was suitably vulnerable and naïve. This was deliberately, predatory behavior by you.

“From the outset, she made it clear she was not consenting to or interested in intimate touching. She was pushing your hand away.

“She told you to stop and you ignored her. She told you she was uncomfortable.

“She cried out in pain. You continued.

“Your previous sentence and protective order did nothing to prevent you from offending in an almost identical way again. This offending is therefore made so much more serious by virtue of it being the third occasion you have offended against young girls in this way.

“There is a complete failure to acknowledge your sexual interest in young girls. You presented to the probation officer as highly manipulative, which is indeed evident in your offending.

“You have failed to demonstrate any insight into your offending or its impact on your victim. The probation officer concludes that your offending is specifically predatory, targeted and pre-planned – targeting a young girl whom you had identified as vulnerable.

“You are not impulsive. Rather, you have been assessed as someone who analyzes situations and who has a full understanding of the consequences of your actions.

“Your family have cut off contact with you. You have had various types of employment in the past, worryingly including roles in which you were tasked with protecting people.

“There is a high likelihood of sexual reoffending, with the probation officer concluding that the risk you pose against young females would be very high. You refuse to fully grasp the significant physical, sexual, emotional and psychological harm that your offending causes.

“This was a serious offense of rape, in which you engaged in a predatory search for a young and vulnerable girl. You groomed her, isolated her by removing her from her normal surroundings and assaulted her whilst in an isolated location in the dark.

“You have directly relevant previous convictions. This was the third occasion in which you had engaged in exactly this behavior.

“Importantly, you had only been released from the sentence imposed for your previous offending four months or so before you committed these offences. That fact, coupled with the fact you were subject to a sexual harm prevention order which should have prevented this offending, did nothing to stop you from offending in the way you did.

“You have shown no remorse and a complete lack of insight to the harm your offending causes. Given the lack of insight and your resistance to accepting there is work which needs to be carried out with you, I find it impossible to determine for how long you will pose this level of risk.

“I am exceptionally driven to the conclusion that the risk you pose would not be adequately dealt with by an extended sentence. For all of these reasons, I am satisfied that your offending is so serious that a sentence of life imprisonment is required and that is the sentence which I impose.”

Godridge, who was also handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and told to sign the sex offenders’ register for life, showed no reaction as the sentence was handed down or at any stage during the hearing. Merseyside Police’s Detective Sergeant Bob Sandham said: “The actions of Godridge have had a hugely traumatic and long lasting effect on his victim and her family, who have been supported throughout by specially trained officers.

“Godridge denied the offenses forcing his victim to endure a trial. Thankfully, he was convicted of these offenses and will now spend a considerable period of time behind bars.

“I hope that today’s sentencing will bring the girl some sense of justice as she continues to recover. I would encourage anyone who has been a victim of a sexual offense to come forward and speak to us.

“We have a team of dedicated staff who will expertly and compassionately deal with your reports and we will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice. We take all such reports extremely seriously, and work with partner organizations such as Victim Care support service and Rape and Sexual Abuse Support, who are there to support victims every step of the way.”

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