Grantham sex offender Katie Birtles jailed at Lincoln Crown Court after breaching court order and grooming girls online
A sex offender who breached a court order by grooming and attempting to meet underage girls has been jailed for child sexual exploitation.
Katie Birtles, 40, of Wroxall Drive, Grantham, was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison at Lincoln Crown Court today (Monday, May 19).
She admitted engaging in sexual communication with a child, arranging to commit a sexual offence, and breaching her Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) twice.
The court was told that Birtles, a registered sex offender, contacted girls under 16 via online platforms during a two-week period in January.
She sent sexually explicit messages, encouraged sexual activity and promised gifts such as wine and chocolates.
On January 16, she travelled to Grantham train station intending to meet what she believed was a 14-year-old girl.
Police, acting on a tip-off, intercepted her at the station and arrested her at the scene.
Officers examined her phone and recovered chat logs showing she had made sexual advances, offered gifts, and planned to meet the victims in person.
The offences were a direct breach of her SHPO, which banned any contact with children under 16 both online and in person.
The SHPO had been imposed in 2017 after Birtles was convicted of making indecent images of children.
She was previously sentenced to nine months in prison and ordered to follow a 10-year SHPO.
Following her latest conviction, Birtles will also serve a further two years on licence after her release.
The court has imposed a new indefinite SHPO, which includes monitoring of her digital activity, and she will remain on the sex offenders’ register for life.
Detective Constable Nicola Paradowski of Lincolnshire Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) led the investigation.
She said: “As a team we are dedicated to protecting the most vulnerable in our society and keeping children safe from harm, working long hours to make sure dangerous offenders such as Birtles are brought to justice.
“I hope this sends a clear message that we will not tolerate child sexual exploitation in our county and will take robust action.
“Breaches to orders like the Sexual Harm Prevention Order will be dealt with, and action will be taken immediately, to ensure we continue to protect those at risk of most harm in our communities.”
