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Grooming Offences

Being accused of grooming can lead to close scrutiny of private messages, online activity and the nature of your contact with the person involved.

Cases described as grooming can involve allegations of sexual communication, arranging or facilitating contact, online messages, social media activity or conduct said to have developed over a period of time. The detail matters, including the age of the person involved, what was said or done, the intention behind the contact and whether the prosecution can prove the offence alleged.

Our Solicitors will examine the evidence carefully, advise you before any police interview and identify where the prosecution case can be challenged. This may include reviewing messages, digital evidence, witness accounts and the wider context of the alleged communication or relationship.

Draycott Browne has more than 25 years of experience defending serious sexual offence allegations. Our criminal defence team provides confidential advice and representation from the earliest stage of an investigation through to Crown Court proceedings.

If you have been contacted by the police, arrested or charged in connection with grooming allegations, contact our solicitors for confidential advice as soon as possible.

How we can help

Grooming allegations can depend heavily on how messages, online activity and contact over time are interpreted. Our first priority is to understand exactly what is being alleged, what evidence the police have obtained and where that evidence may be incomplete, misleading or open to challenge.

We can advise you before and during a police interview, liaise with investigators on your behalf and address bail or release conditions where appropriate. If the investigation continues, we will review the evidence in detail and identify the issues that are likely to determine the case.

Where necessary, we can also instruct appropriate experts to examine digital or other specialist evidence.

Throughout the case, you will receive clear advice about your position, the risks you face and the next steps in your defence. We handle sensitive allegations discreetly and prepare each case around the specific evidence rather than relying on a standard approach.

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Our legal team is available 7 days a week

Criminal Defence Expertise for Child Grooming Offences

Our Experienced Sexual Offence Team

Shaun Draycott

Shaun Draycott

Managing Director & Serious Crime Solicitor
Rob Mann

Rob Mann

Director & Serious Crime Solicitor
Venessa Schweitzer

Venessa Schweitzer

Consultant Litigator
Caitlin Cardwell

Caitlin Cardwell

Crown Court Litigator
Meet the Team

What is child grooming?

If an adult or group of adults meets or communicates with a child under the age of 16 online or by phone, via calls or text messages, they can be accused of child grooming even if the content of the communication was not sexual.

Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, several offences can arise from grooming-related conduct.

Section 14 covers arranging or facilitating the commission of certain child sexual offences. This can apply where a person intentionally arranges or facilitates conduct that they intend, believe or foresee will involve the commission of a relevant child sexual offence.

Section 15 covers meeting a child following sexual grooming. It can apply where an adult has met or communicated with a child on one or more occasions and then intentionally meets, travels to meet or arranges to meet the child with the intention of committing a relevant sexual offence.

The Sexual Offences Act 2003 also contains a separate offence of sexual communication with a child under section 15A. This can apply where an adult intentionally communicates with a child under 16 for sexual gratification and the communication is sexual, or is intended to encourage the child to make a sexual communication.

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What are the penalties for a child grooming offence?

The maximum sentence depends on the specific offence charged.

Meeting a child following sexual grooming under section 15 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 can carry up to 10 years' imprisonment. Sexual communication with a child under section 15A can carry up to 2 years' imprisonment.

For arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence under section 14, the maximum sentence depends on the underlying sexual offence being arranged or facilitated.

A conviction can also result in notification requirements under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, depending on the offence and sentence imposed.

There is often significant interest from the local and national media in these investigations, which can place the defendant under immense pressure and stress and do irreparable damage to a person’s reputation, relationships and career.

Anyone convicted of a child grooming offence will also be subject to inclusion on the Sex Offenders Register and will be required to notify the police of certain personal details either for a stated period of time or for life, depending on the sentence handed down.

Depending on the circumstances, the court may also impose a Sexual Harm Prevention Order following conviction. A Sexual Risk Order can be imposed in certain cases without a conviction where the statutory requirements are met.

These orders can restrict contact with children, internet use and other behaviour considered necessary to protect the public. Breaching an order is a separate criminal offence.

24 hour availability

Arrests are rarely anticipated, which is why we are available around the clock, seven days a week, 365 days of the year, to assist you at the police station, whenever you need us. Our legal experts are only a phone call away to provide immediate, professional advice.

Funding your defence 

Legal advice at the police station is free, regardless of your financial circumstances. If you are charged, you may also qualify for Legal Aid depending on the stage of the case, your means and the seriousness of the allegation. Our Solicitors can explain what funding is available.

Private funding can be particularly useful in grooming cases where the evidence is extensive or technically complex.

Private funding can provide greater scope for detailed evidence analysis, further defence enquiries and specialist expert input where required. This may include examining digital communications, challenging how online material has been interpreted or obtaining expert evidence about devices, accounts or data.

Our Solicitors can discuss the likely work involved in your case and explain the funding options available before you decide how to proceed.

Specialist Child Grooming Offence Lawyers

  • 24/7 Availability
  • Proven Success in High Profile Cases
  • Non-Judgemental Representation Tailored to Your Situation

Protect your future with trusted, expert legal defence—contact Draycott Browne’s Grooming Offence Solicitors today.

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Contact Draycott Browne Solicitors

When faced with the accusation of grooming a child or children for sex, it is imperative that you seek legal advice and representation from one of the top Criminal Defence Law Firms in the country.

The sexual offence solicitors at Draycott Browne are highly regarded, nationally across the legal spectrum and are noted for our consistency in delivering positive results. Our criminal lawyers possess a breadth of technical knowledge and know-how to help build a defence across all Sexual Offences, providing you with the expertise required when facing such sensitive allegations and investigation by the police.

We regularly act for clients in London and throughout the North West including Manchester and Liverpool regarding Sexual Offences and accusations of child grooming, when expert legal representation and advocacy is needed.

By entrusting your case to us, you can be assured that you will be working with a team of highly skilled and experienced sexual offence solicitors who have a thorough and comprehensive knowledge of the law.

Our legal team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you or somebody you know has been arrested and needs expert legal representation, call Draycott Browne today or complete our contact form, for the very best criminal defence for allegations of sexual offence.

Frequently Asked Questions for Grooming Offences

If you are accused of sexual grooming, avoid contacting the alleged victim or their family and do not delete messages, emails or other digital evidence. Seek specialist legal advice as soon as possible and avoid discussing the allegation with anyone other than your solicitor.

Sexual grooming can take many forms, common examples include:

  • Initiating contact via social media or messaging apps
  • Flattering or befriending a child to gain trust
  • Sending sexually explicit messages or images
  • Offering gifts or money in exchange for sexualised behaviour
  • Persuading a child to keep secrets or lie to parents
  • Arranging to meet the child in person

Sexual grooming is the deliberate act of building an emotional connection with a child for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Legally, it involves:

  • Meeting or communicating with the child on one or more occasions
  • Intending to meet the child
  • Believing the child is under 16
  • Acting with the intention of committing a relevant sexual offence

Even if the meeting never occurs, or no sexual contact takes place, the act of grooming alone can lead to prosecution under Section 15 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

A number of legal defences may be available depending on the facts of the case:

  • Mistaken belief in age – If the accused can demonstrate a genuine and reasonable belief that the child was 16 or over
  • Lack of intent – The communication must be shown to have had a sexual motive or the intention to meet
  • Entrapment or coercion – Where law enforcement or third parties induce a person to commit an offence they would not have otherwise committed
  • Lack of evidence – Weak or inconsistent testimony, or lack of corroborating digital evidence, can be challenged

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