February 2014
Girl, 14, enticed into sending explicit video of herself to Louth man, 42, she met on Facebook
YOUNG girls and their parents were today warned to protect themselves against potentially dangerous online predators after a seedy incident that “turns the stomach of ordinary people”.
In what was a disturbing case, a schoolgirl sent a sexually explicit video of herself to a man she met over the internet, a court heard.
The incident was alarming because of the danger that a vulnerable girl would be exposed to the risk of being exploited, the court was told.
David Brown, 42, of Queen Street, Louth, admitted causing or inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity on February 15 last year.
Jeremy Evans, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that the mother of a 14-year-old girl looked through her daughter’s mobile phone and found that she had exchanged intimate messages with Brown.
The girl later sent him an explicit video of herself involved in sexual behaviour. He was identified and traced. They had first made contact via Facebook.
Andrew Bailey, mitigating, said Brown accepted he had a problem and that “treatment was the way forward” for it. Judge Paul Watson QC branded Brown’s actions “deplorable”.
He added: “It’s the sort of thing that turns the stomach of ordinary people that 14-year-old children can be exposed to the risk of contact with you over messaging services such as this, with little or no protection, and that there are people like you who will exploit it.
“I accept that you were not deliberately trying to take things further and you took no steps to do so.”
Brown was given a three-year supervision order, including a sex offender treatment programme, and 180 hours’ unpaid work.
He was given a five-year sexual offences prevention order and must register as a sex offender for five years. He was ordered to pay £480 costs and an £80 surcharge.
After the hearing, a spokesman for the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre said it was important that young children knew who they were talking to on the internet.
Parents could also get advice on how to talk about internet safety with their children.
Youngsters used the internet for information and to “explore” but it was important not to “blame them” for their internet use.
