'Depraved' child rapist jailed for attacks

Kevin Cox was jailed at Sheffield Crown Court

A rapist who repeatedly attacked a girl and possessed the most serious category of child abuse images has been jailed.

Sheffield Crown Court was told Kevin Cox, 29, had sent sexually explicit messages to a 14-year-old and raped another girl, 15, on several occasions between 2017 and 2018.

He was charged with five counts of rape, two counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child and three counts of making indecent photographs/pseudo-photographs of a child.

Cox, of Mowbray Street, Sheffield, was handed a 12-year prison sentence with an extension of two years on licence.

He was also placed on the sex offender register for life, and given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and restraining order.

According to South Yorkshire Police, Cox was previously handed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order in May 2019 after being convicted of possession of indecent images and voyeurism.

During routine checks in January 2023, officers found 39 indecent images of children on his device, more than half of which were Category A - the most serious category.

Officers also discovered the online communications between Cox and the 14-year-old girl as well as a conversation between Cox and another girl in which she said he had raped her.

Cox initially denied two counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child and three counts of making indecent photographs/pseudo-photographs of a child but later changed his pleas.

He denied five counts of rape but was found guilty by a jury following a three-day trial at Sheffield Crown Court in November.

Speaking after Monday's sentencing hearing, Det Con Amy Shore said: "Cox is a depraved sex offender who caused untold pain for his victims, and I am thankful that he will spend more than a decade behind bars for his string of crimes.

"I would like to pay tribute to the strength and bravery of Cox's victims in providing evidence of his abuse, and I hope that this lengthy sentence provides them with a sense of closure."

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.