Rapist jailed after befriending families and offering babysitting

A convicted rapist has been jailed after contacting children and attempting to gain access to young families in Wrexham.

Alfie Given, 21, of Ruabon, “ingratiated” himself with families and offered to babysit their children, Mold Crown Court heard today. He also offered to hang out the washing for another family, including a young girl’s underwear.

Given had been a teenager when he was convicted of raping a boy under 13. He was sentenced at Manchester Youth Court for that offence in 2019 and was later made subject to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) which was extended until 2027.

The court heard the more recent offences came to light when police found 200 messages between Given and a boy, aged 13, in June 2023. Some of the messages were sexual, said prosecutor Ryan Rothwell.

Given was caught making an indecent Category C image of a child and breaching the SHPO by contacting young children, possessing an iPad without telling police and installing Snapchat on it. He also failed to comply with notification requirements as a sex offender.

Given was released by police under investigation in Manchester in November last year before moving to the Wrexham area.

There he befriended two families and had contact with their three children. He “ingratiated” himself with one of the families, offered to babysit and asked if he could take one child to the park.

With the second family he also offered to babysit several children and hang up washing including one girl’s underwear. On one occasion the mother accidentally opened Given’s iPad but he “snatched” it from her.

Eventually, both mothers became “uneasy” and North Wales Police arrested him.

Elen Owen, defending, said Given had originally been targeted by older criminals and his home “cuckooed” or used by them. He was taken out of that situation and met the families in Wrexham. He has now been remanded in custody for seven months.

His Honour Rhys Rowlands said the fact Given had been targeted by older criminals “can’t really explain let alone excuse your contact with children in breach of the SHPO.”

He said the SHPO had been designed to prevent a repetition of his “unnatural and worrying” behaviour. But he had been “calculating” in breaching it by contacting the boy, obtaining an iPad without telling police and installing Snapchat on it.

The judge jailed Given for 21 months for breaching the SHPO by contacting the two children in one of the North Wales families. He also received an 18-month concurrent jail term for doing so by contacting the child in the other North Wales family.

For breaching the SHPO by possessing the iPad and installing Snapchat he was given a ten-month concurrent jail term.

The judge also gave him a six-month jail term which is consecutive to the 21-month term, for another breach of the SHPO, making a total of 27 months’ imprisonment.

There was a three-month concurrent sentence for failing to complete an annual notification on time but no separate penalty for making an indecent image.