A Leicestershire man has today (Friday 2 October) been jailed for engaging in sexual activity with a teenage girl.
Thirty-seven-year-old Tony Fraine was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment when he appeared at Leicester Crown Court this afternoon.
On 11 September, at the same court, he pleaded guilty to one count of abuse of position of trust – sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 17 and one count of abuse of position of trust by causing/inciting sexual activity with a girl.
Fraine, of Rayleigh Green, Leicester, committed the offences between October and November last year.
His crimes were brought to the attention of police after the victim’s friends saw an inappropriate email on her mobile phone. They also told officers they had recently noticed a change in her behaviour. They said she had become more secretive and would turn the screen light down on her mobile phone.
The young victim then told police that Fraine had sent her indecent images of himself and that on several occasions had touched her in an inappropriate manner. An investigation was undertaken by officers from the force’s Child Abuse Investigation Unit (CAIU) and Fraine was subsequently arrested.
Detective Constable Aisling McPhillips was the officer in the case. She said: “Fraine found himself in a position of trust, which allowed him regular contact with the victim.
“He first began exchanging emails with her, before then sending messages via WhatsApp, which soon became of a sexual nature. In some of his messages he acknowledged what he was doing was wrong, but it didn’t stop him.
“He took advantage of the position he found himself in for his own sexual gratification. I hope the public will take some comfort from the fact Fraine has been sentenced to a period of imprisonment where he can reflect on the severity of his crimes.
“The victim in this case has shown great courage in disclosing what happened, which in turn allowed us to charge Fraine with these offences. The fact Fraine has admitted his crimes meant she didn’t have to recall what happened in front of a jury – and I hope she can find some relief in that.
“I believe there may be other victims have not yet come forward. If there are, I would encourage those people to do so. We have trained officers who are able to support victims through the course of an investigation.”
