Man ‘bombarded’ girl with sex texts (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Performer jailed for causing ‘real trauma’ for teenage victim

7:00am Tuesday 24th July 2012 in News By Steve Wright, Crime Reporter

A middle-aged man bombarded an underage girl with lewd text messages, a court heard.

Darren Lorriman, 47, sent hundreds of messages to the girl when she was aged 14 and 15, Bradford Crown Court was told yesterday.

Judge Peter Benson, jailing Lorriman for 15 months, said some of the texts were explicit and distasteful.

The victim’s schoolwork suffered and she did not want to go out with her friends as a result of Lorriman’s actions.

Judge Benson told him: “You caused real trauma, upset and misery in her young life. You bombarded her with those text messages.”

The judge said there was no suggestion Lorriman, of Exley Mount, Exley Head , Keighley , carried on the “lewd proposals” into physical contact.

But he added: “There must be a sentence that will deter adults from behaving in this abusive way.”

Prosecutor Gerald Hendron told the court that Lorriman, who had pleaded guilty to two charges of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, began sending the girl messages complimenting her on her appearance, but over time the texts became more sexually explicit.

Mr Hendron said that at one point Lorriman stopped sending texts, but then resumed. He sent so many she was not able to keep them all in her phone.

The girl reported the messages to a teacher and police were called in.

Mr Hendron said Lorriman had been a performer and box office manager with Keighley Operatic and Amateur Dramatic Society and had been involved with other similar societies.

Lorriman had also previously worked with children within schools, the court heard.

In a victim impact statement the girl said she had told police because she did not want Lorriman to do it to anybody else.

His barrister, Kama Melly, said he was of positive good character who had worked for years to benefit the local community and society in general. He had taken an enormous gamble, before the offences, in setting up a business to provide long-term security for his family.

But the business failed and the family had gone from financial security to ruin. He got depressed and began drinking.

Miss Melly said he was bitterly ashamed. His marriage had broken down.

Sentencing Lorriman, Judge Benson told him he was 30 years older than the girl and intelligent and old enough to know better.

The defendant will have to sign on the sexual offenders register for ten years and is prohibited from working with children under 16 until further order. There will also be a Sexual Offences Prevention Order, the terms of which will be fixed later.