Paedophile, 46, is jailed after former victim ‘traps’ him on a child rape website

A child rape victim posed as a paedophile online in order catch the man who abused her by corresponding with him on a web forum. 

The woman, who had been abused by Hugo De Sousa as a child, discovered in 2021 he had been convicted of distributing and making images of child sex abuse. 

The 46-year-old Portuguese was unaware that his new online friend was one of his victims. 

De Sousa, who admitted rape and sexual assault of a child and possession of images of child sex abuse was jailed for 22 years at Derby Crown Court. 

Judge Jonathan Bennett said: ‘These offences actually came to light by reason of your conviction for indecent images in 2021 when you were made the subject of a suspended sentence for making and distributing the images. Your victim became aware of that and she thought she might now be believed.

‘In effect, she set up a trap for you under a pseudonym on an online chat site where she discussed with you your predilection for underage girls and you made admissions (to the pseudonym) that you had sexually abused (her as) a child. In terms of what you did after you first abused her, you behaved as though nothing had taken place.

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Hugo De Sousa, pictured, was jailed for 22 years after he was lured online by a prior child abuse victim to admit how he had previously violated her. Derby Crown Court heard the victim decided to act after she discovered De Sousa was convicted for possession of child abuse images in 2021

‘But by doing what you did to her, you have blighted her childhood by using her as a sexual chattel and corrupting her. Then, in your (pre-sentence) report you begin victim-blaming, placing responsibility on what you did to her, and that factor gives me great concern.’ 

Prosecutors said following De Sousa’s 2021 conviction, his victim ‘made a decision from there to set herself up with a fake name, to contact him and try to get him to admit what he had done’. 

The court heard the plan ‘worked to perfection’  

In a victim impact statement, the girl told how she has suffered from nightmares, how it had affected her school work, that she was sleeping to the point where she started working nights because she could not sleep properly, and that she’s had intruding recurrent thoughts about what happened. 

Marie Spenwyn, defending, said her client’s best piece of mitigation was his guilty pleas meaning the victim would not have to face her abuser and relive her ordeal during a trial.

The 22-year sentence is made up of 17 years of custody plus an additional five years on an extended licence. It means he won’t be eligible to apply for parole until two thirds of the way through the custodial element. The defendant will be on the sex offender register for life and is the subject of a lifetime sexual harm prevention order.

As De Sousa is a Portuguese national, he will be liable to deportation on his release from prison, the judge said.

Speaking after sentence, Detective Constable Hayley Beautyman, who was one of the officers involved in the investigation, said: ‘Hugo Guerriro De Sousa subjected a child to sexual abuse and he has quite rightly been jailed for his despicable actions.

‘In 2021 Guerriro De Sousa was convicted of various offences in relation to indecent images of children and from that date, through proactive investigation and policing, it was found that he had continued to fuel his obsession with such material. It was because of these investigations that the victim found she had enough courage to come forward and report her ordeal.

‘I would especially like to thank the victim in being brave enough to come forward and report this. The sentence reflects the seriousness of the offence and also of the danger that Guerriro De Sousa poses to children and young adults. I would also like to urge other victims of abuse to come forward, to report any concerns and to know that they will be supported by our specialist teams.’