A man, Richard Bosworth Coalville Paedophile, has received a 16-year prison sentence for grooming and raping a minor, following the Metropolitan Police Service’s investigation, which relied only on phone data and CCTV images to identify him.
Richard Bosworth, 41 (born 13 July 1983), from Coalville, Leicestershire, was sentenced on Tuesday, 4 March, at Kingston Crown Court. On Wednesday, 23 October 2024, he entered a guilty plea to two counts of rape and seven additional sexual offences, which encompass sexual assault on a child under 13, engaging in sexual communication with a child, causing a child to observe a sexual act, two counts of causing or inciting a child to participate in sexual activity, meeting a child after sexual grooming, and assault by digital penetration.
Detective Inspector Kieran Curry, who directed the inquiry, stated:
“I commend the young survivor in this case for her courage. She found the strength to confide in officers, and her account of this appalling assault proved crucial in securing Richard Bosworth’s conviction. Her and her family’s cooperation has put this dangerous predator behind bars.
“Richard Bosworth travelled from Leicestershire to abuse his victim in Twickenham. He is a devious offender, who ensured he left very little evidence for police to pursue.
“It is a testament to our investigative teams that they succeeded in identifying Richard Bosworth, combing over large amounts of CCTV evidence and phone data in order to apprehend him and secure a conviction.”
On Monday, 23 September, 2024, police were contacted by the victim’s mother. She said her 12-year-old daughter had spoken to friends at school about being abused by a man who had reached out to her on the BeFriend social media platform, presenting himself as a young teenager.
Investigators spoke to the girl, who said the man picked her up in his car in the early hours of Thursday, 19 September, 2024. He used a fake profile when communicating with the victim, grooming her for a month prior to the meeting. He left little evidence of his true identity.
Officers in the case reached out to the Met’s Operation Atlas team, which specialises in digital manhunts. Having obtained the number associated with the fake BeFriend profile, investigators were able to trace the movement of a phone through London to the victim’s home, as it citied off various telecom masts. They then paired this with CCTV footage from the areas in question.
Through these enquiries, investigators were able to single out a car. This was found to belong to Richard Bosworth. On Tuesday, 1 October, officers arrested him at his home in Coalville. On the same day, he was charged with 10 counts of rape, all relating to the same incident on Thursday, 19 September.
As well as serving 16 years in prison, Richard Bosworth will be made to register for life as a sex offender.
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