Personal trainer Matthew Lawrence will spend three years and nine months behind bars after grooming a 15-year-old gym member and sexually assaulting her in his locked car, a court heard Tuesday.

The 41-year-old Trafford man, who told colleagues he preferred younger girls for their “innocence,” began targeting the child in August 2023 while working at a Greater Manchester gym. When management raised concerns about the victim’s age, Lawrence begged them not to revoke her membership, warning: “Don’t ban her, in case she goes to the police.”

Staff had watched with growing alarm as Lawrence showered the teenager with gifts and boasted about exchanging indecent images with her. Their fears proved justified when the victim finally confessed to her mother that Lawrence had forced her to perform sexual acts on him after taking her to the cinema as a “reward” for her training efforts.

Police analysis of Lawrence’s phone revealed more than 3,000 calls and texts between the pair in just one month, many sexually explicit. Despite multiple warnings from associates who learned the girl was only 15, Lawrence continued pursuing her until his arrest at London Airport on September 1, 2023 - just as he was about to start a new job as a cruise ship trainer.

Lawrence admitted sexual communication with a child and two counts of sexual activity with a child. Minshull Crown Court also imposed an indefinite restraining order and sexual notification order, plus a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

“Lawrence lied throughout the interview process to try and minimise his actions,” said Detective Constable Amy Brookes. “His deplorable behaviour had a huge impact on the young victim, and she has shown such bravery in speaking to us.”

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