Man found guilty of child sexual exploitation offences

A man was found guilty at St Albans Crown Court on Thursday 10 October of child sexual exploitation offences (CSE)

An investigation was launched in 2021 by Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Halo team, who specialise in CSE cases, following a report from a female who had been sexually assaulted.

It was alleged that, on three occasions between 28 December, 2020 and 3 January, 2021, Ridvan Uruqi, now aged 27, arranged and facilitated the travel of two teenage victims to locations in London where they were sexually exploited.

Ridvan Uruqi, of Trinity Lane, Waltham Cross, was arrested and subsequently charged with:

• Six counts of arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view to exploitation.
• Sexual assault on a female.
• Sexual activity with a child.

Following a trial, which lasted 22 days, Uruqi was found guilty of four counts of arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view to exploitation and one count of sexual activity with a child. He will be sentenced on 4 November. 

Detective Sergeant Ayodeji Afolabi said: “Uruqi preyed on young, vulnerable teenagers, grooming and then sexually exploiting them. I would like to commend the bravery and courage of the victims and witnesses for coming forward to the police. Understandably, this was a very daunting situation for them, but they have been vital in bringing Uruqi to justice. We will now look towards sentencing where I am hopeful he will serve a considerable time in prison.

“I’d also like to thank all officers involved who worked tirelessly on what was a serious and complex investigation.”

Hertfordshire Constabulary want to make sure as many people as possible are aware of the possible signs of CSE and who to contact if they have concerns for a young person.

Warning signs

Signs of a child or young person being in an exploitative relationship can vary. Some examples are:

• going missing from home or care
• physical injuries
• misuse of drugs or alcohol
• involvement in offending
• repeat sexually-transmitted infections, pregnancies or terminations
• absenteeism from school
• deterioration in physical appearance
• evidence of online sexual bullying
• evidence of vulnerability on social networking sites
• emotional distance from family members
• receiving gifts from unknown sources
• recruiting others into exploitative situations
• poor mental health
• self-harming
• thinking about or attempting suicide

If you suspect a person of carrying out child sexual exploitation, or think someone you know has been a victim, or may be soon, visit our How to report possible child abuse page or call our non-emergency number, 101.

If someone is in immediate danger of harm, please call 999.

Further information about CSE can be found on the Herts Police website and on the NWG Network.