CCTV caught 'predatory' Preston paedophile checking runaway girl into hotel

A 33-year-old man from Preston has been jailed after he was found engaging in sexual activity with an underage girl.

A 15-year-old girl was reported missing in May last year.

She was tracked to the Sleeperz Hotel in Newcastle on May 31 following a police investigation.

CCTV captured Stuart Shorrock checking them in using false names.

Officers entered their hotel room and found evidence of sexual activity.

Shorrock was subsequently arrested for sexual exploitation of the girl.

During a police interview, the girl explained how she had met Shorrock online where he had claimed to be 19.

She said they had met previously at other hotels since January 2023 to engage in sexual activity.

Det Chief Helen Buckland said: "Shorrock groomed the victim by claiming to be a teenager himself and building an online relationship with her.

"This is classic predatory behaviour and Shorrock is a dangerous individual who is rightly now behind bars."

Stuart Shorrock, of Pope Lane, Preston, pleaded guilty to one count of penetrative sexual activity with a child, four counts of non penetrative sexual activity with a child and one count of causing or inciting a girl aged 13-15 to engage in sexual activity.

He was jailed for four and a half years at Newcastle Crown Court on Wednesday, February 28.

A restraining order was also imposed preventing him from contacting the victim for five years.

The sexual harm prevention order forbids him from:

• approaching, touching or making any attempt to communicate with any female under the age of 16;
• using any name other than his legal name and correct date of birth to register any social media account or access any social media platforms;
• deleting any chat history of any kind from any platform/application or installing any encryption or wiping software on any device;
• undertaking any work that is likely to bring him into unsupervised contact with persons under the age of 16 years;
• using any name other than his legal name and correct date of birth to make any hotel bookings/reservations for overnight accommodations.

"We would like to thank the victim and her family for their courage supporting this conviction," Det Chief Buckland added.