Information in this article was obtained in 1998 from an inmate of the Utah State Prison system in August
1998. The offender admitted to sexual assaults of more than 500 different children during a 35-year period. Female children, ages 6-13, were his primary target.
WARNING from the offender: This article contains descriptions of various grooming tactics once used by a convicted child molester for the purpose of making his intended victims vulnerable for his sexual desires. Samples of his tactics are detailed and it is hoped that this will assist law enforcement to detect and halt future molestations.
TACTIC: THREATS
I began my career as a child molester, when I was age 8. My older cousin and I forced his 6-year-old sister into the hayloft and our tactic consisted mainly of cutting off her escape route. Once we had her in the hayloft, I pulled up the ladder so she couldn’t get away from us.
TACTIC: GUILT TRIPS
One day after the elementary school let out, I saw a little girl playing by herself on the swings. She had a little dog with her. I asked her if she’d like for me to push her in the swing. After doing this awhile, I sat in a swing beside her and began talking with her. I told her how pretty she was. I deliberately guessed her age as older than she obviously was and acted surprised when she said: “Silly. I’m only five.” I told her she looked older. We talked about pets. When I asked about siblings, she said she had none. At this time I suggested I hold her and we could sing together. As we did, I allowed myself to become excited. After having my way with her, I told her that if she told anyone, I would find her and hurt her doggie.
TACTIC: BEFRIEND WITH KITTENS
Our house bordered an alley that a lot of kids used as a shortcut to the school playground. One day, from my basement, I saw a little girl on her way to the playground. I lured her over by asking is she wanted to see some little kittens. I knew her natural curiosity would prevail and when she came over, I took her into the basement with me. I fondled her and two weeks later I gave her the kitten. This placed the child in a position of feeling indebted to me and also ensured future molestation.
TACTIC: TICKLE GAMES
Seeing several young girls playing in a park, I began talking with them about themselves; how they liked school; their ages and other general topics. I soon had their trust. Then I said to one: “I bet you are ticklish.” When I tickled her, it evolved quickly into a general tickle session. During this activity, I was able to fondle each child both under and above their clothing, without it being noticed. I used this tactic countless times while I was actively molesting children.
TACTIC: PLAYING DUMB
Many times when alone with a selected little girl that I wanted to molest, the following conversation would occur:
Me: “You’re a cute little boy.”
She: “Silly. I’m a little girl.”
Me: “Nah. You’re a boy.”
She: “I’m a little girl.”
Me: “Prove it to me. Let’s see if you look like a boy here.” (I’d point to the genital area of the child’s clothing.)
At this point, invariably the child would innocently expose herself. I would then feign disbelief and ask if I could touch her down there to see for myself. In all the times I used this technique, only one child ever refused to go along. Children want to please adults and the opportunity to show they are smarter, is hard to ignore. I knew this and preyed on it.
TACTIC: I NEED HELP
I parked in a secluded area that I knew little girls walked along on their way to the swimming pool. Getting out of my car, I put up the hood and as the child I had selected approached, I began tinkering around the engine. When the child came alongside the car, I dropped a screwdriver. I asked her if she’d please hand it to me. When she did, I told her I couldn’t reach the item I needed to work on because it was out of my reach. I asked her if she’d help me by holding the tool for me. Of course, she was too small to reach over the fender. I was able to fondle her and when finished, I gave her a ride to the swimming pool and told her what a “good girl” she was, to help a stranger. In events using this approach, I never had t use direct threats against my victim.
TACTIC: LET ME HELP
In this tactic, I choose victims who are by themselves and appear to be in distress and needing help. For example: One summer afternoon while resting in a local park, I heard a child crying. A 3-year-old girl was limping on one foot and crying as she made her way across the park towards a path that went through the trees to a housing development. As she passed me I observed a cockle burr in her heel. I called to her to come over to me and I would help her. I removed the burr from her foot and then had her sit by me. I asked if she was happy now. When she nodded “yes, “ I asked if she would do something to make me happy. After several minutes, I told her how nice she was and quite molesting her.
TACTIC: FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER
During this time period, I was employed as a traveling family photographer. My company would arrange advance “shoots” for me in various towns and cities. When I arrived, I’d set up my studio in available space; complete with a table where the customers could sit and fill out the necessary forms. When I set up in small towns, I always had that table arranged so that the customers had their backs to me and couldn’t see what I was doing. As they worked on the paperwork, I “got acquainted” with the children. If the child were between ages three through six, I’d ask if she’d like to help me test the camera equipment. I’d lift them up so they could press the test-fire button on my camera. They liked it when the flash would go off. Keeping an eye on the parent, I was able to fondle my victims without anyone being the wiser. I used this tactic countless times. The table setup was a grooming tactic aimed at the parents, whereas the camera test was used on the children.
TACTIC: SWIMMING POOL
I used several grooming tactics whenever I went swimming. One was to situate myself along the edge of the pool in water that was up to my shoulders. In most pools, small children will cling to the edges as they move up and down the sides of the pool. By being where I was, the water was too deep for them to get around without having to let go of the edge. I would “help” them by fondling them as I moved them from one side of me to the other side of the pool edge. By tickling and laughing with the victims, the entire event appeared perfectly normal.
As a child molester, I depended upon absolute secrecy. I never molested a child who called attention to what was going on because I was afraid of getting caught.
---- convicted sex offender
TACTIC: CRUISING
In this tactic, I always looked for children by themselves as they walked to school. I’d drive around and look for a child who was late for school or situations such as being in the rain or on cold, wintry days, etc. Once I found a victim, I’d offer to give them a lift to school, so they wouldn’t be “late”, “get wet” or “catch a cold”. The reasons given were endless and depended on the type of situation. This eventually would lead to my exposing myself and making the child touch me as I touched them.
TACTIC: WOULD YOU LIKE TO…?
Use of this grooming tactic involved my asking my selected victim if they’d like to do any number of various activities – each geared to the specific situation and victim. Those activities were something like “Would you like to see the Chipmunks; go for a ride; learn to skate; have your picture drawn; be pushed in the swing; go to the park; learn to ride a bike; have some fun learning about yourself?” and so on. The list is virtually endless. In most of these situations, I’d take my victim to a secluded area and assault them sexually.
Five Who Escaped
1. I was driving and noticed a little girl en route to school. It was cold weather and when I stopped, I offered her a ride in a warm car. After she got in, I began to put my hand up under her dress. She instantly began to scream loudly: “Help! He’s going to hurt me! He’s not my daddy!” Because other cars were on the same street, I quickly put her out of the car and drove away.
2. I was parked along a route that was frequented by 9-year-old girls on their way to a school for girls. As two girls approached, I called them over to my car and offered them a ride. As one girl began to enter the car, her friend said she’d rather walk. I saw her begin to write down my license plate number. I told the first girl that I was sorry, but I had to leave.
3. At a swimming pool, I was actively fondling the little girls as I “helped” them get around me along the pool edge. One little 5-year-old girl went to the lifeguard and told them what I was doing. Even though I was able to explain my actions to the lifeguard’s satisfaction, I left the pool.
4. In a small park, I lured a young girl into a bushy area next to the children’s play area. As I began to fondle her, she began to scream and yell for help. An adult female came to her rescue and I barely escaped.
5. I was planning to expose myself near a playground to several of the smaller girls and to lure them close enough for fondling. One young girl in the selected group, noticed my always being there only at lunch hour. Unknown to me she told a teacher about that “stranger in a car who is always by the playground.” The next day when I arrived, the police questioned me. The fact that they now knew about me prevented my ever doing anything again in that entire area of town.
PREVENTION TACTICS:
· Have the local police conduct a background check on a new person in your area
· Continually warn the children about the dangers of strangers
· Notify police of any inappropriate behavior
· Telling the parents immediately when a stranger tells them: “I have a gift for you”
· Be highly cautious of any male adult who appears to be overly friendly around and with children of any age
· Never accept any gifts from anyone who is not a member of the immediate family
· Play only in areas where a parent or playground supervisor is present
· If a child is hurt, seek help only from a person the child knows
· Scream “fire!” or “stranger!” to draw attention to them
· If they see a stranger who is paying too much attention to them, the child should tell a parent, policeman, teacher or other responsible adult
· Calling out to any nearby adults: “This man is trying to hurt me” or “I’m going to tell the police”
· Never walk down lonely streets, especially if they see someone parked in the loneliest part of the street
· Never stop to listen to a stranger who talks to them from his car
· Never walk alone to school or elsewhere
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