Latest Offenders Teignmouth

Description

A former trainee police officer has been jailed for grooming as many as one hundred girls, as young as nine, by sending sexual messages and explicit images of himself online.

The disgraced student officer also requested pictures from the girls through TikTok, and was found with more than 1,200 indecent images and videos of children.

Jason Hicks, 31, was sentenced to four years in prison with a three year extended licence, put on the sex offenders' register and made subject of a sexual harm prevention order which will enable the police to monitor his online activity for ten years.

He was caught after the mother of a nine-year-old girl in Wiltshire found his messages on her daughter's phone and reported them to the police, who eventually realised they had come from Hicks.

The offences were uncovered while Hicks was in training to be a Devon and Cornwall Police officer.

He was immediately arrested and suspended and subsequently dismissed without notice.

Officers found more than 1,200 indecent images and videos of children on his laptop, iPad and other digital devices seized when a warrant was carried out at his home.

Hicks approached approximately one hundred girls all over the world on TikTok while claiming to be a 17 or 18-year-oldsixth former.

Hicks selected his victims from TikTok but then moved their conversations onto Snapchat before he used 'truth or dare' games to encourage them to strip off and touch themselves.

The girls included a 13-year-old from America who he asked to film herself and two eleven-year-olds from Sweden who he asked to send nude or semi-nude images.

He used Snapchat because their postings delete automatically. This meant police only recovered a fraction of the 100 contacts which Hicks admitted after his arrest.

He admitted everything in interview and told colleagues had been sexually attracted to children since he was a teenager but he was disgusted by his own actions.

Hicks, of Bishopsteignton, Devonfully admitted offences dating back to 2012 in his first police interview - telling detectives he felt relieved to have been caught.

He pleaded guilty to a total of 13 charges and was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court on Thursday.

A psychiatric report concluded that he had a compulsive sexual behaviour disorder and was suffering from depression.

A Judge at Exeter Crown Court ruled that he was a dangerous offender whose release would have to be controlled by the parole board.

Hicks admitted engaging in sexual communication with a child - a nine-year-old girl from the South West - and inciting her to engage in sexual activity between March and April 2021.

He had befriended the girl online by posing as an older teenager on TikTok before moving onto Snapchat and exchanging sexually explicit messages with her.

The child's parents discovered she had been communicating with an adult male and contacted police in their area.

Enquiries later led officers to Hicks who was still in training and had not yet conducted any public-facing, frontline duties.

Devon and Cornwall Police's Paedophile Online Investigation Team and Professional Standards Department urgently planned and executed a warrant at Hicks's home on 20 January 2022.

He was dismissed without notice following fast-tracked misconduct proceedings in February 2022 and has been placed on the College of Policing Barred List.

Hicks was convicted of a further four counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with children and another four of attempting to incite them to engage in sexual activity

He exchanged sexual Snapchat messages with four children he believed were aged between 11 and 13 between December 2021 and January 2022.

The victims have never been identified despite the best efforts of investigating officers. Analysis linked their IP addresses to the USA, Sweden and the Yorkshire area.

Hicks also pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent photographs of children between September 2012 and January 2022.

The images and videos found on his devices involved children as young as eight and included 127 in the most severe 'Category A'.

Hicks was also issued with a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and the judge ordered the destruction of his digital devices.

He will serve three years on licence if he is deemed safe for release from prison at the end of his sentence.

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Steve Parker said: 'We note and welcome the sentencing of Jason Hicks today for what are despicable offences.

'I would like to commend the bravery of the young victim in this case and her family in coming forward and reporting these appalling crimes.

'We remain committed to bringing perpetrators of such offences to justice and those responsible will always be investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

'All police officers, including those in training, have a privileged role in being part of a Force responsible for the safeguarding of vulnerable people. The actions of Jason Hicks were wholly wrong and illegal and he now faces the consequences of that.

'Our Paedophile Online Investigation Team and Professional Standards Department acted swiftly as soon as these offences were brought to our attention and Hicks was immediately arrested and suspended. Accelerated misconduct proceedings meant he was dismissed soon after.

'Devon and Cornwall Police takes any reports of illegal or inappropriate conduct extremely seriously.

'All officers and staff are expected to abide by the Code of Ethics and ensure the highest standards of behaviour, both on and off duty.

'I can reassure the public that the overwhelming majority of our officers and staff work diligently to help to keep the public safe, uphold our high standards and provide an exceptional service to our communities.

'We will always take the appropriate action when standards fall below those expected and continue to learn from any instances where they do.'

Detective Inspector Simon Foster, who led the investigation, added: 'Devon and Cornwall Police's Paedophile Online Investigation Team proactively seeks out offenders, no matter their position in society.

'This result demonstrates the commitment we have to safeguarding children in Devon and Cornwall.

'Our team conducts warrants following investigations into an individual's online activities which lead to arrests, charges, convictions and, most importantly, children being safeguarded and protected from harm.

'Our mission is to protect children from online predators, whether that be convicting offenders for possessing child sexual abuse material or protecting children who are groomed online.'

David Barnes, District Crown Prosecutor for CPS South West, said: 'Hicks used social media to find and contact young girls.

'He pretended to be a teenage boy, sending explicit messages and photographs while encouraging the girls to send him intimate images of themselves. At least one girl, aged just nine years old, sent photographs of herself to Hicks as a result.

'A swift investigation by the Devon and Cornwall Paedophile Online Investigation Team, working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service, enabled us to build a strong case that resulted in Hicks pleading guilty to a total of 13 charges.

'Women and girls have the right to feel safe everywhere, including online. We will continue to work in partnership with the police and other agencies across the criminal justice system to strengthen and improve our joint approach to tackling these appalling crimes.'

Both TikTok and Snapchat have been approached for comment.

Description

A Teignmouth man has been jailed for sexually molesting an eight-year-old girl.

Richard Griffiths was visiting a house in Torbay when he assaulted the child.

The 37-year-old denied two charges of sexually assaulting a child under 13 but was found guilty after a trial in December.

He has been jailed for two years and nine months.

Exeter Crown Court was read a victim personal statement by the mother of the child who said the incident had had a profound effect on her daughter.

"This has caused my family immense stress and trauma," she said.

"My daughter has suffered mental trauma and doesn't sleep well." She said the child was now distrustful of men and prone to bursts of anger.

"I feel my daughter's innocence has been taken away from her in such a way that her childhood is ruined and her memories stolen."

The offence dates back to 2019.

Prosecutor Ms Bathsheba Cassel said Griffiths said Griffiths had been drinking the night before the assault. He twice put his hands inside the child's clothes to touch her. He was arrested after the child told her parents what had happened.

The defendant, of Barnpark Terrace, has previous convictions for cannabis growing and was subject to a suspended sentence at the time of the offence.

Mr Richard Crabb, defending, said Griffiths, was a divorced man who had not done anything like this before. He described the offence as 'opportunistic' rather than planned.

Judge Peter Johnson said he had seen Griffiths shaking his head when evidence was heard during the trial.

"You stood trial and the jury disbelieved you," the judge told him.

He said the young victim had suffered psychological damage as a result of the incident.

Griffiths was made subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order restricting his access to children and must sign the sex offender register. He will serve half of the sentence in custody ands the rest on licence.