A man who met a 12 year old girl online before having sex with her has been sent to jail following a ruling by the Court of Appeal.
Adam Quelch, 22, made contact with his victim through an instant messenger app. Four days after initiating contact he picked her up in his car, walked her to a nearby wood and raped her. The offender then moved to Australia, continuing to communicate with the girl over other social media platforms. He was arrested at an airport when he returned to the UK in January 2019 and charged with the rape of a child under 13.
Quelch was sentenced to a Community Order which was referred to the Court of Appeal as unduly lenient. Today he has been given an immediate custodial sentence of 2 years 6 months' imprisonment with licence extension of a year.
After the hearing, the Solicitor General, Lucy Frazer QC MP, said:
"Quelch's actions had a severe impact on the victim and her family. Thankfully, he was brought to justice when he returned to the UK. Due to the severity of his crime he will remain imprisoned for the immediate future."
