Paedophile admits grooming girls for sex in Manchester in 2000s as Operation Green Jacket secures first convictions

A paedophile who threatened a teenage girl with a gun down a Manchester alleyway following a campaign of grooming and sexual abuse in the 2000s has admitted charges following a GMP investigation.

Christopher Oates’ crimes have finally caught up with him as he pleaded guilty on the fourth day of his trial at Manchester Crown Square Crown Court to three offences.

• One count of intentionally causing a 14-year-old girl to be sexually exploited and groomed into prostitution;
• One count of intentionally causing a 17-year-old girl to be sexually exploited and groomed into prostitution;
• One count of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

He becomes the first offender to be convicted as part of our wide-ranging investigations into non-recent child sexual abuse in Manchester in the 2000s - Operation Green Jacket led by our dedicated Child Sexual Exploitation Major Incident Team.

The court had begun to hear evidence of how Oates (44) - from Stockport and nicknamed ‘Nails’ due to his long fingernails - groomed the girls and preyed on their vulnerability. 

Oates coerced one of the girls to believe he was her boyfriend when she was just 14. He would subject her to sex work and sell her to other men. 

The victim approached us in November 2020 after seeing media coverage of our arrests as part of Operation Green Jacket. 

She and her friend bravely told us about Oates’ abuse. This video evidence was played in court earlier this week before Oates decided to finally admit his crimes.

Detective Inspector Eleanor Humphrey’s, senior investigating officer for this case, said: “I am so pleased for both women that they have today finally got some justice all these years after this horrific abuse.

“Christopher Oates is a depraved and manipulative paedophile. The abuse he subjected these two girls to was horrific. He was even prepared to try and deny this throughout a trial and make the victims relive it all over again. 

“Thankfully, due to the weight of evidence against him, his crimes have finally caught up with him two decades later. This is all thanks to the brave and compelling testimony from the victims, who now have been spared the experience of being cross-examined in court.” 

Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker, our lead for public protection and vulnerability said: “Today is a significant day for GMP and its ongoing pursuit of justice for victims of non-recent child sexual abuse.

“Firstly, I commend the bravery of the victims and the meticulous dedication of the investigation team and support services. Together, long-awaited justice has been secured.

“Operation Green Jacket was set up in 2019 to tackle non-recent child exploitation in Manchester in the 2000s. This result is a clear signal we will investigate and we will bring offenders to justice.

“However, we are clear that this is far from over. This operation has a number of live investigations and, with more than 70 arrests, more days like this will follow.

“Time is no barrier to justice in GM. No matter how long ago the abuse, when you are ready we will listen to you.”