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Missing girl search leads police to Heanor sex offender Richard Tate
Overview
A search for a missing teenage girl in January led Derbyshire Police to the Heanor home of Richard Tate, where the girl was found. Tate was subsequently arrested, and a hidden mobile phone containing indecent images of children was discovered. He has pleaded guilty to 16 child sex offences involving four different teenage girls and is due to be sentenced in December.
Key points
- A missing person report in the West Midlands led police to the home of 42-year-old Richard Tate in Heanor.
- Officers found a missing teenage girl at Tate's property and subsequently uncovered a hidden mobile phone containing indecent images and videos of children.
- Tate pleaded guilty at Derby Crown Court to 16 offences, including child abduction, making indecent photographs, grooming, and sexual communication with children.
- Police stated that the charges relate to four different teenage girls whom Tate had messaged on Snapchat while pretending to be a 15-year-old boy.
- Tate has been remanded into custody and is scheduled to be sentenced at Derby Crown Court on 21 December.