A child sex offender has been sentenced after committing 17 offences in Staffordshire.

Bobby Whalley, 26, of Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, groomed the survivors a number of years ago in Newcastle-under-Lyme before making sexual advances in person and over phone messages.

One of the survivors bravely told someone what happened in 2020, prompting our detectives to launch an investigation.

We were able to build a strong case against Whalley and support the many survivors, leading to a significant number of charges being secured against him.

Whalley denied it happened. It went to a trial in September last year, and because our evidence was so strong and the survivors were so brave, the jury deemed Whalley guilty on 17 counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

On Monday 14th April, he was sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court to 12 years in prison, with an extended licence period of three years.

Detective Constable Keri Inskip, from our public protection unit, said: “Another dangerous child sex offender has been sent to prison because of the immense courage that the survivors showed in coming forward and telling someone what he did.

“We know there are other survivors out there, and we want you to know that we’re here to help you and to act robustly against those responsible for these appalling crimes.”

If you’re a survivor of a sexual offence and you feel ready to talk, speak to our specially-trained officers in confidence by calling 101 or using Live Chat on our website.

We are determined to act as strongly as possible against sex offenders in Staffordshire.