March 2019

‘Dangerous’ Rotherham paedophile has prison sentence extended after admitting another sex crime

A convicted Rotherham paedophile already serving time for sex attacks has had another five years added onto his prison sentence after admitting another offence.

Tom Steven Wilkes, aged 26 and formerly of Pitt Street, Kimberworth, had his sentence extended at Sheffield Crown Court after pleading guilty to the sexual assault of a child.

He is currently serving a 10-year stretch after being jailed in November 2015 for multiple offences committed against girls

Wilkes contacted three girls from the Rotherham area, two of whom were aged under 13-years-old, via social networking sites.

He bombarded the girls with messages asking them to meet and engage in sexual activity with him, sending crude messages and explicit images to the victims.

The court heard how, as part of the police investigation into Wilkes’ sexual offending, officers examining digital devices identified another teenage victim who had been groomed by the paedophile online.

He sent numerous, sexually explicit messages before convincing the 13-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to meet up.

When she met him, Wilkes sexually assaulted her.

PC Brett Thompson, of South Yorkshire Police, said: “Wilkes is a dangerous, predatory individual who exploited and groomed a number of teenage girls online.

“In this case, he told his victim he was much younger than he was, saying he was 16 when he was in fact 21-years-old, duping her and luring her to a secluded location so he could attack her.

“He was much bigger and stronger than the victim, so this must have been a terrifying experience.

November 2015

Pervert jailed for child grooming

A Rotherham man who ‘preyed on’ schoolgirls online has been jailed for 10 years.

Tom Steven Wilkes, aged 22, formerly of Pitt Street, Kimberworth, Rotherham, pleaded guilty to:

Two counts of attempting to incite a girl under 13 to commit sexual activity

• One count of sexual assault on a girl under 16

• One count of causing a child under 13 to look at a sexual image

• One count of possessing an extreme image

Sheffield Crown Court heard how Wilkes contacted three girls from the Rotherham area, two of whom were aged under 13-years-old, via social networking sites.

He bombarded the girls with messages asking them to meet and engage in sexual activity with him, sending crude messages and explicit images to the victims.

In January 2015, one of the victims approached an adult and reported the abuse.

Police were called and a joint investigation by South Yorkshire Police, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council and children’s charity Barnardos was launched.

The investigation progressed and a number of other victims were identified.

As part of their enquiries,police officers seized Wilkes’ phone and recovered explicit messages he had sent.

Detective Inspector John Fitzgibbons said: “Wilkes preyed on young teenage girls online, exploiting their vulnerability to try and get them to meet him and engage in sexual acts.

“His behaviour is despicable and dangerous, and I am relieved he entered guilty pleas and spared his victims the further distress of a trial process.

“The victims in this case should be commended for their bravery in coming forward to tell adults about this crime.“