Man who attempted to fly from Gatwick to abuse child in France jailed
The 23-year-old pleaded guilty to multiple child sexual abuse charges.
A man has received a 15-year prison sentence after attempting to fly from Gatwick Airport to meet a teenage girl he had been sexually abusing.
Fabrizio Broussett, aged 23, was stopped at the airport on 18th May 2025 while attempting to board a flight to Lyon, France.
He came to the attention of Sussex Police in April 2025 when Counter Terrorism officers seized his mobile phone during a separate investigation.
While no terror-related materials were found, the phone contained 18,000 videos, some depicting violent sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl in France, and 33,000 messages exchanged with her.
The girl's ID and passport, confirming her age, were also found among his possessions.
Sussex Police collaborated with Interpol to perform a welfare check on the teenager, ensuring she was safe.
Investigations revealed Broussett had visited the victim for two weeks in February and April 2025, staying in the Saint-Etienne area, with more trips planned.
Broussett was charged with multiple offences, including penetrative sexual activity with a child, making indecent images, facilitating a child sex offence, and engaging in sexual communication with a child.
He pleaded guilty to all charges at Croydon Crown Court on 11th July 2025.
On 17th February 2026, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison, with an additional three years on extended licence.
He also received a 20-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and was placed indefinitely on the sex offenders register.
Detective Constable Tasha Smith described the offender as committed to grooming and abusing the child.
She hopes the sentencing provides some comfort to the victim.
Smith thanked Counter Terror policing and Gatwick Airport for their support in the investigation and encouraged victims of sexual crimes to report incidents to the police.