A 59-year-old man from Gloucestershire, Derek Johnson, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted of grooming and sexually abusing multiple girls aged between 13 and 16. Johnson systematically manipulated his victims online and traveled long distances to abuse them in person.
Johnson faced Gloucester Crown Court after pleading guilty to 16 sexual offences involving children from Gloucestershire, Cornwall, and West Yorkshire, committed between 2020 and 2023. Investigators revealed that he imposed strict rules on his victims and punished them if they disobeyed, often filming the abuse himself and coercing the girls into sending him exploitative videos.
A complex police investigation began in November 2024 when a victim, then aged 17, reported being groomed and abused by Johnson after meeting him online on Tumblr at 14. Johnson traveled to Gloucestershire to meet this victim, continuing the abuse over two years after relocating nearby.
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Johnson was arrested in February 2025 at his Stevenage home after a joint operation between Gloucestershire Police and Hertfordshire Constabulary. Multiple electronic devices and items linked to the abuse were seized. However, Johnson breached bail conditions and evaded police before fleeing to the Republic of Ireland, where he was arrested and extradited back to the UK in June.
Further forensic investigations uncovered evidence of abuse against additional unidentified victims and detailed records of Johnson’s offenses in a calendar app on his devices. One survivor recounted being drugged and raped in a Dartmoor woodland at age 13, under threat to prevent her from leaving contact with Johnson.
Victims bravely gave heartfelt impact statements in court, sharing their devastating mental health struggles caused by Johnson’s abuse. Diagnoses included PTSD, and many described long-lasting feelings of fear, guilt, and trauma.
Despite writing a letter expressing remorse, Judge Rupert Lowe condemned Johnson’s actions as depraved and called out his “utter indifference” to the harm he caused. Johnson received an extended sentence of five additional years on licence, alongside indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention and restraining orders.
Detective Inspector Simon Goodenough highlighted Johnson’s dangerous pattern of grooming vulnerable children and fleeing justice. The police thanked the victims for their courage, emphasizing that Johnson will remain behind bars for a significant time.
Authorities encourage anyone affected by sexual abuse to seek support, reaffirming that it is never the child’s fault.