Luton man jailed for 7 years for sexually assaulting 13-year-old girl he groomed on social media

Zakei Ciurar, 29, of Hitchin Road, Luton, added the victim on social media and began grooming her to believe they were in a relationship.

Ciurar eventually persuaded the girl to meet and they engaged in sexual activity.

The victim told police that Ciurar had told her he loved her and that he was going to leave his partner, and even speak to her parents and ask for their blessing for the pair to be married.

The victim’s family became suspicious of Ciurar, and when they confronted him he initially offered them money not to report him to the police.

Bedfordshire Police’s Protecting Vulnerable People (PVP) launched an investigation when contacted and Ciurar was charged and remanded in October.

Last week at Luton Crown Court he was found guilty of three counts of sexual activity with a child, two of which involved penetration.

He was sentenced to a seven-year prison sentence and also given a sexual harm prevention order, meaning he cannot have any unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 16.

Ciurar had a restraining order put in place to not contact the victim or go within 500 metres of her home address once he is released, and will be on the sex offenders register for life.

PC Amy Craig, who led the investigation, said: “This was a great result and I’m really pleased we got justice for this young victim, who was so brave to give evidence in court.

“Ciurar’s not guilty plea meant she had to go through the trauma of his grooming and exploitation all over again. The bravery it takes for anyone to do this, let alone someone so young, is extraordinary and I cannot commend her highly enough.

“I am grateful for the support the court gave her in giving evidence, as she was able to do so from behind a screen away from Ciurar’s gaze. We know this process is incredibly hard, but we will try to support any victims as much as we possibly can.

“We won’t tolerate male violence against women and girls. Sexual predators like Ciurar will be brought to justice and won’t be able to pose a risk to girls in our county.”