Lancashire man groomed schoolgirl, 15, on Snapchat before drugging and sexually assaulting her

Gregg Riley, 44, took naked photographs of his 15-year-old victim while she lay dipping in and out of consciousness in his Blackburn home.

Riley also targeted other girls who attended the same high school in East Lancashire as the victim.

He would pay for their Snapchat Premium subscriptions and ask some for naked photographs or tell them about his sexual fantasies.

On July 5, 2024, police were contacted by the safeguarding lead at the school who was concerned about a number of students in Years 8 and 10 who were in contact with a man via Snapchat.

The victim was spoken to and outlined how Riley had picked her up, gave her ketamine and while kissing her said: “I only want you. I want you forever.”

While driving her to Blackpool and knowing she was only 15-years-old, Riley told her: “We are going to move away to Scotland so that we can get married, because you can get married at 16.”

Riley later took her back to his Blackburn but the victim lost consciousness several times on the journey due to the ketamine and had to be carried into the house.

It was then that Riley engaged her in sexual activity and took naked images without her knowledge.

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The victim later blocked Riley on Snapchat.

Further enquiries found that after buying another victim Snapchat Premium, Riley turned the conversation sexual and made comments about her hair and her school uniform.

Riley later asked to meet up with her, said he wanted to have sex with her and that he wanted to hurt her as this was his fantasy.

He then went on to talk about necrophilia and doing sexual stuff when she was passed out.

Riley also said that he loved the girl and sent her between £200 and £260 via PayPal.

The victim had sent Riley sexualised images and a video of herself.

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Riley bought another girl Snapchat Premium for her 15th birthday and later told her that he had a dream about her which involved chains and whips.

After his arrest, Riley’s phone was seized and we found 294 indecent images of children and four prohibited images.

Officers found a large number of photographs of children who Riley did not know.

Some of the images - which police said appeared to be screenshots taken from social media - had been edited using a nudity programme.

Riley, previously from Blackburn but now of no fixed address, was charged with causing/ inciting a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, making indecent photographs / pseudo-photographs of a child, possessing a prohibited image of a child.

He pleaded guilty to all the offences when he appeared at Preston Crown Court at a hearing last year.

Riley returned to the same court today where he was sentenced to 17 years in prison and given an extended seven-year licence period after being deemed as a dangerous offender by the judge.

He was also made subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

A lifetime restraining order was also put in place in relation to Riley contacting his victims.

Det Sgt Stu Peall, from the East Exploitation Team, said: “Riley is a manipulative individual who targeted and groomed his victims for his own sordid sexual interests. He knew exactly how old his victims were and exploited their vulnerabilities for his own ends.

“I welcome the sentence handed down to Riley today which indicates the danger he poses to female children.

“Finally, I want to take this opportunity to praise the victims for the bravery they have shown in speaking up about Riley’s behaviour towards them."

A spokesperson for NSPCC said: “The girls who Riley targeted on social media in order to groom, manipulate and sexually abuse, have bravely spoken about the impact of his crimes.

“Tech companies need to do so much more to protect children from harm on their platforms. End-to-end encrypted services continue to pose an unacceptable, major risk to children.

“Childhood abuse can have profound and long-lasting consequences on those who experience it, and it’s vital they can access the specialist support they need.

“It is also crucial that young people feel they can speak out about abuse no matter when it happened or who the perpetrator is and know that they will be listened to and supported.

“If you’re concerned about the welfare of a child or young person, please call the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 for help and advice or email [email protected].

“Children can contact Childline for help and support 24/7 on 0800 1111 or via www.childline.org.uk.”