Girl bribed to have underage sex (From Swindon Advertiser)

Girl bribed to have underage sex

12:00pm Tuesday 11th December 2007 in

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THE director of an IT company is facing a lengthy spell behind bars after being convicted of a string of sex offences against an underage girl.

Ross Pragnell was found guilty of seven charges, having already admitted three others.

A week-long trial heard how the 41-year-old gave the underage girl top-up vouchers for her mobile phone in return for sex acts.

It took the jury less than four hours to convict the boss of West Side computers in Victoria Road of the sickening activity.

Pragnell, of Bourton, near Shrivenham, faced 10 charges - five of rape of a girl under 16, one of indecent assault, two of sexual activity with a child, one of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and one of sexual activity with a child.

He admitted one of the charges of sexual activity with a child and also the charges of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and sexual activity with a child.

During the trial at Oxford Crown Court, the jury were told that the defendant had sexual encounters with the girl at least once a fortnight.

He offered her mobile phone credit and other presents, including a mobile phone and a bag, in return for sexual favours.

The jury of four men and eight women were also told the pair had full sex on more than one occasion after he had undegone a vasectomy.

The court heard how Pragnell would allow the girl - who cannot be named for legal reasons - to sit on his lap and over many weeks he began to stroke her, becoming more intimate on each occasion.

Speaking of the first occasion when his intentions towards the youngster had changed, Pragnell said "I began to stroke her back and stroke her leg. I suppose there was an edge of sexual touching."

Within a few weeks of the abuse starting, the defendant began bribing the girl. She was desperate for phone credit and she was more than happy to do this to me for money.

"I would say this was on average once a fortnight, maybe every 10 days."

On the first occasion he had sex with the girl, the defendant had claimed that she reached out to him at the end and encouraged him to continue.

In his summing-up of the defence, Judge Anthony King said: "The defence say that she had exaggerated her account or mis-remembered.

"First of all she has got the dates wrong, secondly, while the defendant admits what he did was wrong, she did not physically resist or tell him no' and after a while would initiate it, expecting £15 each time.

The plump and balding defendant, dressed in a black suit, white shirt and blue tie, looked pale and stunned as the unanimous verdicts were read out. Relatives of the girl in the public gallery broke down in tears.

Judge King ordered a pre-sentence report to be prepared on Pragnell, and told him: "You are facing a substantial custodial sentence and you will be remanded in custody.

"You will be sentenced on a date that is, at the moment, fixed for January 18."