Man jailed for 16 charges of child sexual abuse has sentence increased
Court of Appeal judges decided 59 year old Derek Johnson's sentence was unduly lenient
Last updated 17th Apr 2026
A man who moved to Gloucestershire to be closer to a young girl he sexually abused has had his prison sentence increased following a decision by the Court of Appeal.
Derek Johnson, 59, from Stevenage, was originally sentenced on 25th November 2025 to 15 years in prison with a licence extension of 5 years after grooming and sexually abusing multiple young girls across the UK.
However, today (17th April) his sentence was increased to 19 and a half years in prison - with a further 5 years on licence after it was found to be unduly lenient.
Johnson had admitted fourteen counts of sexual activity with a child and two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
The court heard that Johson met his victims online where he groomed them before travelling across the UK to sexually abuse them.
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 he was arrested, authorities seized electronic devices that contained comprehensive details of his offending including multiple child sexual abuse videos.
After he was granted bail following his initial arrest, Johnson fled to the Republic of Ireland but was eventually extradited back to the UK in June 2025.
The Solicitor General Ellie Reeves KC MP, who referred the case to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme 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.”