Paedophile who raped and blackmailed schoolgirl with naked photos jailed

A Wolverhampton sexual predator who raped and then blackmailed a teenage schoolgirl with naked photographs has been jailed for his horrific series of crimes.

Carlos Fletcher was jailed for 12 years after two of his victims bravely came forward to disclose the abhorrent offences.

The 23-year-old paedophile was apprehended after West Midlands Police worked alongside the victims to bring the sexual predator to justice.

The first girl contacted police in autumn of 2020 to reveal the abuse she suffered at the hands of Fletcher in 2017. The sex fiend forced the schoolgirl to repeatedly engage in sexual activities with him.

The cruel paedophile also groomed the young victim to send him naked photographs which he used to manipulate and exert further control over the poor girl.

Fletcher’s second victim, who was around 20-years-old when he raped her, also got in contact with police after telling a confidante about her shocking ordeal which had left her physically and psychologically traumatised.

Fletcher had also forced her to send him naked photographs and threatened to share the images with other people unless she gave him money.

Digital forensics experts at West Midlands Police were able to retrieve images from Fletcher’s phone and unlock messages from him to present compelling evidence at the court trial.

Fletcher, of Junction Road, Ettingshall, Wolverhampton, denied the long list of serious sex crimes levelled at him which included rape, attempted rape of a child, sexual activity with a child, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and blackmail.

After a court trial lasting five days at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Fletcher was convicted on 9 April on all counts.

The convicted sex criminal was handed a 12-year jail sentence on 1 June and placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

DC David Powles, from the Public Protection Unit, said: “The bravery of these two women, in coming to us and being able to tell us what happened to them, has been vital in this case.

“We have been able to support them throughout the investigation, legal hearings and as they provided the court with their testimonies. And it has resulted in Fletcher being put behind bars for many years, preventing him from preying on any other women.

“We hope his conviction and jailing will now help these two courageous women in their recovery from their awful ordeals.”