JACOB AGNEW – HULL

Former youth worker jailed after targeting five teenage girls – prosecutor tells court: “As he aged, the girls he fancied did not.”

A former youth worker who sexually exploited five teenage girls over a number of years has been jailed for five-and-a-half years after a judge found his offending demonstrated a sustained sexual interest in children.

Jacob Agnew, 30, of Holland Street, off Holderness Road, east Hull, appeared before Hull Crown Court after being convicted of multiple sexual offences involving three girls following a 13-day trial. He had already admitted four further offences of engaging in sexual activity with two other underage girls.

The court heard Agnew denied a number of allegations, including sexual assault, engaging in sexual activity with a child and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. However, a jury convicted him of offences involving three victims after hearing extensive evidence over nearly two weeks.

He was acquitted of three other allegations, including blackmail, while jurors were unable to reach a verdict on another charge.

Prosecutor David Godfrey described Agnew as a man who had spent years targeting vulnerable teenage girls while presenting himself as trustworthy and respectable.

He told the jury Agnew had “taken advantage of” numerous girls over a lengthy period and had deliberately engineered opportunities to be alone with vulnerable children.

In one of the most chilling observations of the trial, Mr Godfrey said:

“As he aged, the girls he fancied did not.”

The prosecutor said Agnew repeatedly manipulated situations to gain the trust of young girls before exploiting them. He described the defendant as someone who had become “accomplished at talking his way out of sexual exploitation,” adding:

“He did what he wanted when he wanted.”

Mr Godfrey also told jurors Agnew had spent years denying wrongdoing, insisting the allegations had been fabricated by the girls involved. He said Agnew always had “an excuse or a clever explanation” for his behaviour and had repeatedly tried to talk his way out of trouble.

Alongside the sexual offences, Agnew admitted a separate fraud offence after creating a fake email account in the name of a former colleague and submitting a false employment reference as part of a job application. Although he was initially offered the position, the deception was later uncovered before he started work.

In mitigation, defence barrister Dale Brook said Agnew had pleaded guilty to some offences and claimed there was “a different side” to his character, describing him as someone who had caring responsibilities for others. Agnew nevertheless continued to deny the offences for which he was convicted by the jury.

The judge sentenced Agnew to five years and six months’ imprisonment.

In addition to the custodial sentence, Agnew was made subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, meaning restrictions on his behaviour will remain in place indefinitely. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and was made subject to five-year restraining orders to protect his victims.

The case highlighted the long-term impact of his offending on multiple teenage girls and the court’s view that the offences formed part of a sustained pattern of sexual exploitation over several years.