Rushden kerb-crawling pervert jailed after shouting at 11-year old girl to touch him

Luke Morgan approached the girl in his car in Robinson Road, Rushden, on the morning of March 18 this year as she walked a dog.

During the incident, Morgan shouted out of the car window to get her attention, asking her to touch him inappropriately while pointing towards his crotch.

When she refused and continued walking, Morgan followed her in his car, telling her “Oh please go on do it” and “Come on, do it. It’ll make my day”.

Lead investigator Detective Constable Robyn Stannard from Northants Police’s child abuse investigation unit said: “First of all, I want to commend the young girl in this case for the remarkable courage she has shown throughout this investigation.

“She has been incredibly strong in the face of adversity, and I hope she feels proud that it is because of her bravery that Luke Morgan is now behind bars and unable to do this to anyone else.

“No-one should have their innocence taken away like this and that’s why the fight to tackle violence against women and girls remains as important as ever. It’s something we’re incredibly passionate about here at Northamptonshire Police and something we will continue working on."

After the incident, the girl ignored him and ran home. She then told her parents what had happened, who immediately reported the incident to police.

House-to-house enquiries took place which allowed officers to secure CCTV which showed the incident, and Morgan was subsequently identified as the driver of the car.

He was arrested a short time later in the nearby Asda car park and upon his arrest, was also found to be in possession of a lock knife.

As part of the investigation, the girl took part in an identification procedure, correctly identifying Morgan as the offender in a photo line-up of nine men.

He was charged with one count of causing/inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and one count of possession of a knife blade in a public place.

After pleading guilty to the offences at Northampton Crown Court in June, he returned to the same court this month (July 3) where he was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison.

He was also placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely and handed a restraining order and Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

During the sentencing hearing, the girl’s mum had a victim impact statement read out to the court.

In it, she said: “I remember that morning as if it was yesterday. My daughter left the house without a care in the world, but by the time she came back, her life would be so different.

“She is innocent, I had spent 11 years keeping her safe and protected, but within the space of a few minutes, that had been taken.”

DC Stannard added: “Nothing can take away what Luke Morgan did that morning, but I hope this young girl is able to move forward with the help of her very supportive family.

“She is a talented, brave and resilient individual with a very bright future ahead of her and an inner strength which will allow her to achieve anything she sets her mind to.”