A man who claims to identify as a woman has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for repeatedly raping a young girl. James Groves, 51, who wears a wig and goes by ‘April’, was convicted of 18 sexual offenses at the Bristol Crown Court, including nine counts of the rape of a child.
The jury unanimously convicted Groves on September 9.
The crimes came to light after Groves was arrested for inappropriate communication with a child. Upon his arrest, the victim came forward to reveal that he had also sexually abused her.
Groves was sentenced to 20 years and six months in prison and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for an indefinite period following his eventual release. During the trial, Groves was referred to as a man.
Trans sex offender who groomed and raped young girl nine times is jailed for 20 years https://t.co/olLNr9ISU0
— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) September 21, 2026
According to a statement from Avon and Somerset Police, Detective Constable Ben Perrett, of Avon and Somerset Police’s Criminal Investigation Department, told the press: “This has been an extremely distressing case involving the sustained abuse of a vulnerable young girl, who was targeted and manipulated by the offender over several years. Groves’ actions demonstrate a calculated pattern of grooming designed to gain trust and exert control.”
“I would like to commend the victim for her exceptional bravery in coming forward and supporting the investigation, he continued. “Her courage has been instrumental in securing this conviction and preventing further harm. I hope this result sends a clear message that we take offenses of this nature extremely seriously. We will work tirelessly to protect vulnerable individuals and bring those responsible to justice.”
The victim told the court about the trauma she had endured.
“I am just a shell of my former self. I don’t remember chunks of my childhood because of what Groves did, and this is because of the trauma I have been through,” she said. “People have said to me that I am not the bright, bubbly girl I once was. I have lost my childhood. I will never get it back.”
Groves is not the first transgender sex offender to find himself before a British judge over his predatory history in recent weeks.
On August 11, a trans-identified male was jailed for 3 years after being found in breach of his sex offender conditions. Alex Smith, who was born Matthew Burren, was sentenced at Swindon Crown Court after being caught using a private web browser. Smith had a lengthy history of disturbing sex offenses dating from adolescence, including being convicted of raping a 5-year-old when he was just 12, and being repeatedly found in possession of prohibited images of children.