WIREDGOV

A man who groomed and sexually abused multiple girls across the UK has his sentence increased after the Solicitor General intervened.

Derek Johnson, of Stevenage, Hertfordshire had his sentence increased by four years and six months’ after the Solicitor General referred his case to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

The court heard that Johnson met his victims online where he groomed them before travelling across the UK to sexually abuse them.

Johnson filmed the abuse and threatened to share the footage if they stopped complying with his demands.

In one case, he groomed a 13-year-old and took her to a remote woodland on Dartmoor in Devon where he raped her.

In another case, Johnson abused his victim for two years, who was 14 when she first met Johnson. He also moved to Gloucestershire to be closer to her.

When Johnson was arrested, numerous electronic devices were seized. They revealed multiple child sexual abuse videos and Johnson had logged details of his offending in a calendar app.

After his initial arrest, Johnson was granted police bail and fled to the Republic of Ireland. Irish police tracked him down and he was extradited back to the UK in June 2025.

In a Victim Personal Statement, one of Johnson’s victims described the significant psychological harm he caused, including social isolation, depression and causing panic attacks.

The Solicitor General Ellie Reeves KC MP said:

Derek Johnson is a dangerous paedophile. He systematically groomed teenage girls he met online before subjecting them to horrendous and sustained mental and physical abuse.

I welcome the court’s decision to increase Derek Johnson’s sentence, preventing any further vulnerable victims coming to harm.

I want to commend the extraordinary courage and bravery shown by the victims throughout this horrific ordeal.

On 25 November 2025, Johnson was sentenced to15 years’ imprisonment with a licence extension of 5 years at Gloucester Crown Court for fourteen counts of sexual activity with a child and two counts of causing or inciting a chid to engage in sexual activity.

On 17 April 2026 at the Court of Appeal, Derek Johnson’s sentence was increased to a 24-and-a-half-year extended sentence, comprising 19 years and 6 months’ imprisonment with a licence extension of 5 years.