A prolific paedophile, Taiwo Benson, who attempted to groom over five hundred schoolgirls, some as young as thirteen, via WhatsApp and Facebook has been sentenced to an additional two years, extending his nine-year prison term.
Taiwo Benson, 46, admitted guilt to eleven further sexual offences involving minors.
A ‘dangerous and manipulative’ convicted paedophile, who engaged in over 1,400 talks with 500 teenage girls in attempts to groom them online and via phone, has received an additional two-year prison sentence.
Taiwo Benson admitted guilt to eleven further sexual offences, comprising four charges of penetrative acts with a minor under 16, revealed during a two-year police inquiry.
Taiwo Benson, 46, is already serving a nine-year prison sentence at HMP Littlehey for analogous charges involving four juvenile victims aged 13 to 15. He received his sentence in April 2016.
Subsequent to his incarceration, Scotland Yard discovered two of his mobile devices, which disclosed 1,435 interactions with other prospective victims on many social media platforms.
Taiwo Benson was sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty on 23 November 2018 to:
- one count of causing a child aged 13 to 15 to watch an image of sexual activity,
- two counts of an adult meeting a girl under 16 following sexual grooming,
- two counts of causing a child 13 to 15 to watch a sexual act,
- four counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 15,
- one count of an offender over 18 causing a child 13 to 15 to watch a sexual act,
- and one count of offender 18 or over engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 15.
The disgusting array of crimes took place over the course of 2015, against nine victims.
The court heard how how Scotland Yard detectives from the Met’s Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command (CASO) retrieved two mobile phones belonging to him, which revealed the startling list of conversation threads.
The team spent more two years processing the evidence, travelling across the country and trying to contact the more than 500 girls they believed Taiwo Benson had spoken to.
He used pseudonyms including The Real MVP, Tony and Timi on apps including WhatsApp, Facebook, Viber and BBM (blackberry messaging).
Taiwo Benson groomed the girls, and the evidence indicated he had engaged in sexual intercourse with some of the victims.
After making contact with his victims, he attempted to initiate a meeting for sex and requested images of them. He offered a range of goods, but primarily money to encourage them to meet with him. He remained undeterred when victims told him their young ages.
Detective Inspector Laura Hillier, who led the investigation, said: ‘Taiwo Benson is a very dangerous and manipulative man. He has spent years targeting young girls on the internet for his own gratification.
‘Many potential victims were spoken to by officers. I would like to commend the victims who came forward and bravely told officers how Benson groomed and committed offences against them.
‘It is my hope that today’s sentence brings a measure of comfort and satisfaction to the vulnerable young girls that he preyed upon.
‘The internet is increasingly being used by offenders like Benson to target young victims, and this is something the Met is gearing its safeguarding efforts towards.
‘Engaging with someone online is not the same as having just met them in person, but young people will often be more open to people who seem friendly or project a certain image of themselves online without thinking about what that person’s intentions might be, or even whether they are who they say they are.
‘We would encourage parents to talk to their children about the risks of speaking to people online, and how to stay safe on the internet.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 111 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.