Former law student sentenced to prison for lockdown grooming

On Friday 14th March, York Crown Court sentenced Oliver Thomas Lupton Lane to six years and ten months in prison after he pleaded guilty to 11 charges of child sex offences.

The case began when one of three girls, aged 14, disclosed to North Yorkshire Police that she had been speaking to a man via Snapchat, and had also engaged in face-to-face sexual activities with him.

Upon seizing his devices, officers found that he had persuaded one of the girls to send over 400 indecent images to his online profile named “Sugar Daddy”.

Of the photos from all three girls, aged 14-16, 141 were of the worst category of indecent images of children.

Chats were also found where Lane referred to one of the girls as “a sex slave who had no rights”.

The 14-year-old girl who met up with Lane for sex took her teddy bear with her, reportedly making Lane uncomfortable.

Lane was in his third year of a law degree when identified as a suspect, later graduating with a first class degree. He had “boasted to one of his victims that he was already a lawyer”, says North Yorkshire Police.

via North Yorkshire Police and BBC News

Defence barrister Sarah Vine KC pleaded that Lane was facing the loneliness of lockdown, whilst his girlfriend was working elsewhere, and he was not able to access his mental health medication.

The defence claimed that the 14-year-old girl had “enthusiastically” engaged in the “fantasy sexual dialogue” with Lane.

Ms Vine disclosed: “Before they met for the sex session, they discussed online what they would and would not do and he gave her a word to use when she wasn’t comfortable with what they were doing.

Most Read

Finished Adolescence? These six shows are streaming on Netflix and have the same vibe

Adolescence director breaks down the ending’s secret meaning and it’s utterly heartbreaking

A psychologist reveals wild reason Jamie in Adolescence got offered specifically half a sandwich

“The teddy bear made him feel uncomfortable. After the sex session, he discouraged further meetings.

“Because he was neurodivergent with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, he didn’t perceive her vulnerabilities as another person would.”

North Yorkshire Police have reported how Lane lacked remorse for his crimes in court and waited to plead guilty until after one of the victims had to relive her experiences in a cross-examination.

When Lane entered the guilty plea, he admitted to sexual communication with a child, facilitating a sexual offence with a child, engaging in sexual activity with a child on at least 11 occasions, and making indecent images of children.

In a statement by North Yorkshire Police, published shortly after the case at York Crown Court, Detective Constable Dalby said:

“The offences for which Lane has pleaded guilty are wholly reprehensible. He has inflicted such a profound level of emotional trauma upon one of his victims, that she is unsure whether she will ever fully recover.

“Throughout the investigation, Lane has shown no remorse. His decision to enter guilty pleas just before the start of his trial meant that one of his victims had already undergone a pre-recorded cross examination, in which she had to revisit the abuse that she had suffered.

“I would like to thank the victims in this case for their bravery, trust and patience, it would not have been possible to bring Lane to justice without their co-operation.”

Featured images via North Yorkshire Police and Google Maps