Prasad Saravanan (Image: South Wales Police)
Last Updated: 4 minutes ago
A shopworker who groomed a 13-year-old girl and tried to lure her to his house for sexual activity was intercepted by police after the child’s mother uncovered the plan and raised the alarm.
Prasad Saravanan, 24, of Russell Street, Swansea, had been sentenced at Swansea Crown Court after previously pleading guilty to meeting a girl under 16 following sexual grooming and inciting a girl under 16 to engage in sexual activity.
How the grooming unfolded
Prosecutor Georgia Donohue told the court Saravanan knew the victim was underage, having spoken to her on multiple occasions while she was wearing her school uniform before eventually asking for her phone number.
The 13-year-old was initially reluctant to share her details but the pair later exchanged numbers and began communicating through Snapchat and WhatsApp. During their conversations, the child asked Saravanan if he could get her a cannabis cigarette.
The girl’s mother discovered their WhatsApp exchanges and was so alarmed that she blocked Saravanan – but she was unaware they were also in contact on Snapchat, and their conversations continued on that platform instead.
The planned meeting
In October 2024, Saravanan suggested the girl come to his home in Swansea and she agreed. The pair then discussed what they would do together, with the girl telling him she would do “anything he wants”. Saravanan asked if that included performing oral sex on him, and the child said yes.
On October 24, while the girl was on her way to meet him, she spoke to her mother on the phone and was vague about her plans. Growing suspicious, the mother texted Saravanan using the number she had previously noted from WhatsApp, pretending to be a friend of her daughter. During their exchange, Saravanan confirmed he was meeting the girl that day.
The mother immediately contacted police and told them where the meeting point was. Officers went to the location and arrested Saravanan before the child arrived.
Impact on the victim’s family
In an impact statement read to the court, the girl’s mother described her daughter as a kind and trusting girl who was still learning about the world. She said the defendant had manipulated an emotionally vulnerable child.
Defence and sentencing
Walter Verkaik, representing Saravanan, said his client had grown up in Chennai in India before coming to the UK to study. He told the court references had been provided from a number of people, including a university lecturer who described Saravanan as a “moral person”.
The barrister added that following the conviction, Saravanan’s leave to remain in the UK had been withdrawn, and that he was keen to return to India as soon as possible.
Judge Catherine Richards said the picture which emerged was of someone who “groomed and manipulated” a young girl. She said she had read numerous references showing a different side to the defendant’s character, and accepted his plans for the future had been significantly altered.
With a one-quarter discount for his guilty plea, Saravanan was sentenced to 31 months in prison. He will serve 40% of that sentence in custody before being released on licence.
He was also placed on the sex offenders register for life and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for five years.
