Man jailed for abusing teen he 'preyed on' over Snapchat

West Mercia Police A police custody image of a man with short dark hair and short facial hair, wearing a green hoodie and stood in front of a light-coloured wall. There is a West Mercia Police logo in the bottom left corner.West Mercia Police
Liam Bunton came under investigation last year after committing sexual offences during the past decade

A man who sexually abused a teenage girl he first contacted on Snapchat has been jailed for four years.

Liam Bunton, 35, of Ransom Avenue, Worcester, was convicted of two counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a teenage girl and sentenced at Worcester Crown Court on Friday.

The offences were not recent and took place during the past decade, West Mercia Police said. However, they were reported last year and Bunton was charged in December.

Det Sgt Callum Godwin, from the force, said Bunton had "preyed on an underage girl".

Police said Bunton gave "no comment" responses in interviews.

In addition to the prison sentence, he was also ordered to pay a £170 victim surcharge, sign the sex offenders' register indefinitely and was given a restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim until 2038.

Det Sgt Godwin said he hoped the outcome of the investigation would "encourage others to come forward and report sexual offences, no matter when they occurred".

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