Former Harrogate Liberal Democrat candidate Anthony Medri has been jailed for over two years for sexually abusing a teenage girl and paying her to send him intimate photos of herself.
Medri, 64, from Knaresborough, sexually assaulted the girl on several occasions and sent her a picture of an intimate part of his body, York Crown Court heard.
The Harrogate Borough Council candidate in 2015 also urged her to send him indecent pictures of herself, said prosecutor Shaun Dodds.
He said that Medri, who is married, had sexually assaulted the youngster by touching her on intimate parts of her body and kissing her on the lips.
Medri asked the girl on social media if she had “ever seen a grown man’s (private parts)”. He then sent her an intimate picture of himself and told her to delete the messages.
Mr Dodds said that in 2017, Medri started transferring money into the girl’s bank account and asking her what she was wearing.
This was followed by a request for a picture of her in her underwear and a promise to pay her £50 if she sent it. Mr Dodds said:
“She sent an image of herself wearing a bra.
“He had previously bought her some underwear…and asked her for photos wearing that underwear.”
The prosecutor said that between 2017 and 2019, £580 of payments were made into the victim’s account for intimate photos of her. Mr Dodds added:
“Sometimes she would also get payments in cash as well.”
Grooming process
Medri – who stood unsuccessfully as a candidate for the Lib Dems in the 2015 local elections when he contested the Stray ward – initially gave the girl money so she could treat herself, which the prosecution said was part of the grooming process.
He would tell the girl “to get yourself something nice”, said Mr Dodds.
The victim “wasn’t in a good place” at the time and she felt that Medri used this to take advantage of her difficult circumstances.
He bought her treats such as perfume, clothes, tobacco and vodka – along with a sex toy and told her to “try it out”. The victim put the item in a bin.
Mr Dodds said that on the occasions Medri tried to kiss the girl, she would pull away, but he would kiss her again. He once drove her to a remote location where he sexually assaulted her.
Read more:
- Couple deny defrauding Harrogate estate agents with £24m wealth claim
- Blood testing to move from Harrogate to Knaresborough due to Sainsbury’s pharmacy closure
Medri was ultimately brought in for questioning and accepted having asked for pictures of the girl in her underwear and that he had given her money, but initially denied sexually assaulting her.
A trial was due to be held but Medri ultimately admitted one count of intentionally causing a child to look at an image of a person engaging in a sexual act, three counts of sexual assault and three counts of causing or inciting the sexual exploitation of a child to become a prostitute or be involved in pornography, namely asking the girl for photos of herself in her underwear.
Mr Medri, of Forest Moor Road, appeared for sentence today when the court heard a harrowing statement from the young victim.
She said she had been left with the “overwhelming” feeling that she was somehow at fault for the abuse.
This and the fact that Medri had protested his innocence for so long had caused her “extreme anxiety”. She added:
“I don’t think I will ever get over what has happened. I think about it every single day.”
Carer for disabled wife
Defence barrister Jeremy Barton said there had been a “plethora” of character references provided by friends and family of Medri.
He conceded, however, that Medri’s offences, which occurred over a period of about a year, were “disturbing and worrying”.
He said that Medri, who had worked all his life and was now a carer for his disabled wife, had shown a “degree of remorse”.
Judge Sean Morris told Medri he should have owned up to his offences “a long time ago” and described his protestations of innocence until his belated guilty pleas as “gutless”.
He told Medri:
“For heaven’s sake man, why did you put this girl through all those months of anguish waiting for (what was expected to be) a trial. It’s gutless.”
He said that only an immediate prison sentence was appropriate for inciting a young girl “in a vulnerable position to sell pictures of (herself) for Medri’s “sexual pleasure”.
The judge said that Medri had taken advantage of the girl when she was in a “desperate state” because of her life circumstances.
Medri was jailed for two years and two months, but he will only serve half of that behind bars before being released on prison licence.
Medri was also given a five-year sexual-harm prevention order to protect children and placed on the sex-offenders’ register for 10 years.
Knaresborough man denies sexual assault and child exploitation charges
A Knaresborough man has denied a string of sexual assault charges and inciting the exploitation of children.
Anthony Medri, 63, of Forest Moor Road, is charged with intentionally causing a child to look at an image of a person engaging in sexual activity for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification.
He is also charged with three counts of sexual assault on a female and three counts of causing or inciting the sexual exploitation of a child he did not reasonably believe was aged 18 or over to become a prostitute to be involved in pornography.
Read more:
- Harrogate care worker steals £30,000 from victim to fund gambling addiction
- Three teens on Harrogate Theatre roof plead guilty to causing £800 damage
- Harrogate drug dealers sentenced after being caught with £2,500 worth of cocaine
Mr Medri, who stood unsuccessfully for the Liberal Democrats in the 2015 local elections when he contested the Stray ward. appeared at Harrogate Magistrates Court this morning to confirm his name and age.
He entered a plea of not guilty to all seven charges.
He was granted bail and will appear at York Crown Court for trial on April 19, 2022.