'Predator' who groomed young girl is locked up

A “predator” who groomed a young girl for “his own sexual gratification” has been jailed.

- By MARK PAGE

He made and sent thousands of voice calls, video calls and emails, and took her to secluded locations in the Grimsby area to have sex with her.

Christian Sollitt, 46, of Rawling Street, Keighley, originally denied knowing the age of the victim and “after accepting he finally knew her age, continued to try and contact her to declare his love and feelings to her”.

Following a 12-day trial at Grimsby Crown Court which ended on October 10, he was found guilty of a number of offences including six counts of sexual activity with a child, three counts of making indecent photographs of children, sexual communications with a child, meeting a child following sexual grooming, possession of extreme pornographic images and possession of a prohibited image of a child.