Predator from Wakefield area fitted curtains to his car so he could rape 11-year-old girl on back seat
A predator who groomed a young girl nearly 90 miles away travelled to her home town and raped her in the backseat of his car.
Vile Christopher Rowbottom bought condoms and even privacy curtains for the back of his car so he could abuse the youngster, Leeds Crown Court heard.
It was heard that the 35-year-old was obsessed with taking the virginity of young girls, based on his internet searches.
After a trial the father-of-two was found guilty of rape, sexual communication with a child, two counts of meeting a child following sexual grooming, digital penetration and making indecent images of children.
Rowbottom, who had been living in Featherstone, was jailed for 13 years.
The court heard that Rowbottom added the girl, who is from the Leicester area, to TikTok and began sending her messages. He then bombarded her with messages on other platforms, including Snapchat, Discord and Roblox.
Prosecutor Christopher Bevan said that Rowbottom “inserted himself into every facet of this this young child’s life”.
She believed they were in a romantic relationship, he made lewd sexual suggestions about what he planned to do with her and he even called her his “wife”.
She also sent naked pictures of herself to him.
He bought the curtains for his car and travelled from his home to Leicester on at least four occasions to meet the girl. He drove her to the secluded corner of a car park where he raped her on the back seats.
When his offending came to light, he was arrested but gave a no-comment interview to police.
His devices were seized and analysed, and prosecutor Mr Bevan said his searches on the internet “clearly showed and interest in children” and “had a desire to take the virginity of the child”.
Rowbottom, now Finkle Street, Thorne, Doncaster, has no previous convictions.
Mitigating, Mohammed Rafiq said: “He knows he will be getting a significant sentence. He has to accept that.”
He said Rowbottom was “showing signs of autism” and was a “bit of a loner”.
Judge Tahir Khan KC told Rowbottom: “You became besotted with her despite the fact she was only 11-years-old.
“You referred to her as your wife and you took advantage of her immaturity, emotionally and sexually. You bombarded her with disturbing and highly-sexualised images.
“You travelled at least four times to Leicester to have sexual contact with her in a car park.
“None of your history can explain, let alone justify anything that you did.”
He put Rowbottom on the sex offender register for life, and gave him a life-long sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).