Mother of 14-year-old girl groomed on Roblox by predator issues urgent warning to parents over phone usage

"To me, I just thought it's a child's game. I did not think for one minute that these older people, paedophiles, are essentially grooming on these games and contacting these children," she warned.

Last week, Carlo Tritta, 19, was jailed for 28 months after admitting to various offences, including making indecent images of a child and sexual communications with a child.

Tritta, from Eastleigh, initially contacted the then-14-year-old girl through Roblox in September 2024.

He then moved their conversation to other messaging apps including Snapchat, Discord and WhatsApp where he engaged in "highly sexualised" conversations with the victim, including exchanging intimate images and videos.

Police were made aware of the situation last August, when the girl's mother discovered the messages and images - with Tritta arrested and questioned.

He was then bailed under strict conditions not to contact the girl or her mother while police seized his phone and began an investigation into its content.

However prosecutors revealed how Tritta subsequently breached his bail by travelling hundreds of miles to the girl's home in an attempt to persuade her to drop the case, entering the rear of the property and confronting the complainant - despite her requesting him to leave.

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Prosecutor Rachel Yarwood told Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court that he also "sent her letters, attempted to contact her by phone and made attempts to frustrate the criminal investigation."

Hampshire Police also revealed how Tritta tried to manipulated his victim during this period, "love-bombing" her with relentless messages, gifts and takeaways, repeatedly texting her and even sending cards in an attempt to persuade her to drop the case.

Tritta also contact the girl’s friends through social media, and called and texted the girl multiple times.

This behaviour escalated when Tritta reported the girl’s mother to child services, and contacted police trying to get the investigating officer removed from the case.

Last December, Tritta admitted to perverting the course of justice, and was sentenced to a 12-month custodial sentence, suspended for two years.

However, just three days after the ruling he returned to the girl's home once again in an attempt to confront her, entering the property and damaging a video camera.

Consequently, Tritta was arrested again, and was charged with two counts of intimidating a witness and criminal damage.

Based on the content police discovered on his phone, which had been seized previously, he was also charged with three counts of making indecent images of a child, engaging in sexual communications with a child, and causing a child aged 13-15 to watch/look at a sexual images.

He subsequently pleaded guilty to making indecent images and was jailed for 28 months.

'Trapped and upset'

In a victim impact statement, the girl said she "felt trapped and upset" and was "scared of going downstairs at night" because she thought Tritta would be there.

The victim's mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, urged parents to keep a close eye on what children were up to on their phones, warning of the dangers of interacting with strangers online.

"I try to tell as many people as possible. Watch what your children are playing; they can be dangerous.

"I thought, my girl, she gets high grades in school, she can be a bit of a moody teenager but she doesn't go out.

"I just thought how lucky am I that I've got my daughter at home with me and she's safe, but I'm in my bedroom and she's in the other and all this is happening to her."

Edward Steele, defending, said Tritta was "essentially fixated" with his victim "partly as a function of his neurodiverse condition", citing his Asperger syndrome alongside a mixed anxiety and depressive disorder.

Roblox is one of the world's largest games platforms, with about 40 million user-generated games and experiences.