Latest Offenders

Description

A man faces 16 months behind bars after he was caught masturbating in front of a woman on the London Underground, following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.

Terence Emberson, 55, and of Church Road, Hertford, appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on 18 July, where he pleaded guilty to one count of indecent exposure and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which he was given for another exposure offence in 2020.

On Monday 15 August Emberson was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment at Inner London Crown Court. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

At around 7pm on Wednesday 1 June, Emberson boarded a Victoria Line train at Tottenham Hale station and the victim noticed him staring in the direction of two other women on the carriage.

He then turned towards her and exposed his genitals, staring at her while he masturbated in front of her.

Officers quickly matched the victims account and description of the offender to Emberson, evidencing a breach of his SHPO which prohibited him from lowering or unzipping his trousers in any public place. He was later arrested at his home.

BTP Detective Constable Emma Martin, said: Im pleased to see Emberson behind bars for his sickening actions which left the victim horrified.

Sexual Harm Prevention Orders are given to protect the public, and Embersons blatant disregard of this proves his predatory mindset.

No one should be subjected to this behaviour as they travel, and we are absolutely committed to stamping it out.

Description

A "sadistic" burglar who raped a mother and her 14-year-old daughter was told his crimes were "horrific" and "the stuff of nightmares" as he was jailed for at least 10 years. Joshua Carney, 28, had been released from prison only five days earlier when he carried out his attacks at 6.45am on 1 March. High on the drug spice, he tried the handle and the letterbox on the victims' front door, Cardiff Crown Court was told. The sound alerted the mother, who had been getting ready for work as her daughter slept upstairs. She stepped out into the street and saw Carney, barefoot, hiding around the side of her Cardiff house. As she backed towards her front door, Carney asked her to call him a taxi before forcing his way into her home and locking himself inside. He then punched her repeatedly in the face before raping her in her living room. "The defendant told the victim: 'Stop f****** screaming or I am going to stab you'," Ieuan Bennett, for the prosecution, said. "She at that point didn't know if the defendant was armed or not and became very concerned she and her daughter were going to end up seriously injured, if not killed, by the defendant." The teenager called the police when she heard her mother being attacked, telling the call handler she believed her mum had been stabbed. Carney then tried to break into the girl's room, before her mother told her to open it, fearing they both might be murdered if they did not comply with his wishes. Taking the younger victim's phone, Carney realised she must have called the police. He then raped both victims in the mother's room and violently sexually assaulted the girl. When Carney tried to leave the property by the front he was confronted by police cars. Fearing a hostage situation, the mother offered to show him out of the back door and unlock the back gate, where he was immediately arrested. Carney was taken to hospital and told police he had no memory of what had happened. While in custody, he told officers: "Those f****** little sluts probably called me into their house." He later added: "When will the swabs be coming back because my memory is starting to come back? I'm innocent so obviously it's going to be proved." Carney later pleaded guilty to six counts of rape, one count of attempted rape and two counts of assault by penetration. He further admitted two counts of causing actual bodily harm and committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence - that is, the theft of the daughter's phone. In statements read to the court, the victims said they had suffered nightmares and insomnia and had left their neighbourhood. Both said they felt guilty about being unable to prevent each other being attacked. Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke jailed Carney for life with a minimum of 10 years. She told him the attack was "deliberately sadistic and no doubt done to satisfy your perverted sexual desires and your abusive sexual remarks are indicative of your attitude - one of the rapes was punishment for phoning the police". The judge acknowledged that Carney was under the influence of drugs, but said his actions - such as locking the front door and taking the daughter's phone - indicated "you were very much in control of what you were doing and your actions were thought through". "Your offending on that day was horrific, it was the stuff of nightmares," she said.

Description

He had 67 videos featuring child sex abuse, 53 of which were in the most serious category A blind man has admitted having hundreds of child sex abuse images on his phone. Guy Kibblewhite used a voice activation device to help him decipher the vile photos and videos. Hamilton Sheriff Court heard on Friday that he was caught when a delivery driver spotted a picture of a naked boy on his phone. Kibblewhite, of Louisbraille Crescent, East Kilbride, was placed on the sex offenders' register and warned that he could jailed. The 58-year-old admitted possession of indecent images at his home over a 10-year period up to June 28 last year. The court was told that married Kibblewhite has been registered blind since May 2015. Sheriff John Speir said it seemed "incongruous" that he should be facing such a charge given his condition. Defence lawyer Andy Thomson responded: "He tells me he can see some form of movement, no more than that. "Sometimes there is a voice activation device on the phone that provides a narrative of what the moving images show." Neil Thomson, prosecuting, said that on June 28 last year a driver delivering parcels passed Kibblewhite's home. He saw through the living room window that the accused was scrolling on his phone. Mr Thomson stated: "The worker could clearly make out an image of a boy aged six to seven years on the accused's phone screen. "The child appeared to be completely naked. The man was concerned by what he'd seen and contacted the police." Kibblewhite's phone was seized and found to contain 689 indecent photos of children, 184 of which were in the most depraved category. There were also 67 videos featuring child sex abuse, 53 of which were in the most serious category. The fiscal said babies thought to be newborn or only a few months old featured in some of the sexually explicit images. He added: "Analysis of the phone showed it had a device that allowed the user to access illicit websites that would not be accessible to someone using a standard Internet browser. "It provided access to sites often described as being part of the dark web." His lawyer described Kibblewhite, who had to be helped into the dock, as "a genuine first offender". Kibblewhite wept as Sheriff Speir told him: "In view of the nature, duration involved and quantity of the images, be under no illusion that a custodial sentence would ordinarily be appropriate. "You should be prepared for a possible prison sentence, but I have not yet come to a conclusive view in these unusual circumstances." Sentence was deferred until next month for background reports and a risk assessment. The Sheriff asked the defence to provide medical evidence, saying he wanted to be "quite satisfied" that Kibblewhite's condition is genuine. Kibblewhite had his bail continued.

Description

Read More

Description

An East London man sent pictures of his penis to social media profiles he believed were girls aged 12-14, offering them money for "plenty of sex and love." John Joseph Mongan, 54, of Ruby Close in Hackney, used a fake Facebook profile under a different name to try to groom who he believed were six different underage girls between May 2020 and August 2020.

Mongan added each of the dummy profiles as friends and messaged them privately, believing they were children, the Met Police have revealed. Within the first few messages Mongan’s communications became increasingly sexual, despite the profiles making their young ages clear from the start and reminding him throughout.

Police described how Mongan's messages were "very demanding" and "graphic." He sent numerous photographs of what he claimed was his penis. Mongan also made frequent attempts to engage in sexualised phone and video calls with the profiles he thought were young girls.

The 54-year-old appeared to offer money in return for "sex and love" to the profiles. He sent photographs of large piles of cash, and asked how they would like to spend it. In one message he sent, he asked: "all I want in return is plenty of sex and love from you could you give me all of that."

Police eventually managed to lure Mongan to Homerton train station in Hackney on August 8, 2020, under the false pretence that he was meeting a 14-year-old girl he had met on Facebook for sex. Mongan cottoned on when he arrived at the station, left, and was arrested by police when he was spotted later that evening in the same area.

Mongan was charged in January 2022 and was remanded in custody. He was sentenced to nine years in prison on Wednesday, September 28 at Snaresbrook Crown Court, after he was previously found guilty by a jury in August 2022. He has also been added to the sex offenders register for life.

He was convicted of six counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, two counts of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.

Police described how, throughout the investigation, it was clear that Mongan was aware his actions were illegal and wrong and he made several attempts to cover his tracks and evade being caught. He deleted evidence of his conversations and officers spent hours investigating his devices and building up evidence to attribute the fake Facebook profile to Mongan.

PC Lindsey England, who is a member of the Central East Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Team, led the investigation. She said: “As part of the investigation I reviewed hundreds of pages of communication. Almost every single page contains extremely sexualised chat from Mongan, with him sometimes giving detailed instructions and descriptions of sexual acts.

“The profiles gave him no encouragement, and instead attempted to remind him of how disinterested and inexperienced they were in sex. Mongan’s methods of manipulation and grotesque use of language are some of the worst I have seen. Mongan used threats of foster homes and promises of love, care and money in an attempt to feed his own sexual fantasies and interests.

“His desire to groom and abuse who he believed to be six different children came above anything else, and he did so without any care of the impact this may have had. His only interests were making every attempt possible to deny and hide his criminal activities. He would have very likely continued this offending if he wasn’t arrested.”

Description

Read More

Description

Two men who conspired to groom and sexually abuse a child in Kirklees have been jailed for offences described as depraved by detectives.

Jeremy Mason (39) from Manchester and Owen Daley (22) from Oxford were branded a danger to children following their sentencing at Leeds Crown Court today (August 19).

Kirklees District child protection officers welcome the sentencing of the two men who pleaded guilty to offending including an attempt by Mason to meet and sexually abuse the male victim while sharing the footage with Daley.

Mason was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to 14 offences including causing/inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity and sexual communication with a child.

Daley was sentenced to six years after pleading guilty to 12 offences including causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and sexual communication with a child. 

Both were given lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Orders and will have to sign on the sex offenders register for life.

Their offending came to police attention in late December after officers were contacted by a friend of the victim on the night he was supposed to meet Mason at an Air BNB in Huddersfield.

The victim failed to attend however and was located in the town centre by the friend who made the report.

Officers from the Kirklees Police Online Investigation Team (POLIT) began to investigate and traced back online and phone communications from the two men to the victim

Mason was identified, traced, located and arrested within 24 hours while Daley was located within a month following telecommunication enquires.

As investigations progressed officers uncovered that the victim has first been contacted by a currently unidentified man who had passed the victim’s details on to Owen and Daley

They then recovered months of contact between the victim and the two men in which they sent him sexual imagery and had made preparations for Mason to meet and sexually assault him.

DS Ben Howley of the Kirklees POLIT team, who led the investigation said: “We welcome the sentences given to Mason and Daley for offences and further planned offending which can frankly be described as depraved.
“It is pure good fortune that Mason did not come into contact with the young victim on the night he arranged a meeting.
“The victim continues to receive specialist safeguarding care and I wish to pay tribute to him and his family for supporting the prosecution.  
“Their courage has helped us and CPS colleagues put these men, who pose an absolute danger to children, behind bars.”

Description

A Greater Manchester Police officer has avoided jail, despite downloading thousands of sick child abuse images over a 10-year period. The disturbing photographs and videos were uncovered by Thomas Woods’ pregnant wife after she looked through his phone, suspecting that he was having an affair.

His wife - who was not named in court but is also a serving police officer - asked a friend for advice after discovering the images, prosecution barrister Mark Pritchard told Minshull Street Crown Court. She later told the same woman, referred to in court as Ms Spencer, that the images were being used as part of an investigation, to 'lure' predators in, following a conversation with Woods.

Ms Spencer suspected that she was being lied to and reported Woods, 34, to the police. GMP's Sexual Offences Unit denied that any such investigation was taking place and Woods was subsequently arrested.

At the time of the offence, Woods was an active police constable in GMP's Salford district. He has been suspended from the force since his arrest and misconduct proceedings will commence "in due course", GMP confirmed.

The court heard that across Woods’ two phones and his laptop, there were 2,567 indecent images - 678 of which were in the most serious category. The images featured children aged between three and 16-years-old and had been downloaded between 2010 and 2021 - with some pre-dating Woods joining GMP.

Mr Pritchard said that one of the most serious videos showed a four-year-old girl being raped and told the court that "discernible pain and suffering by children" was an aggravating feature in the case. There was also a 'prohibited' CGI image of children and an 'extreme pornographic' video, featuring a woman and a dog, found on his devices.

Woods, of Brookdale, New Longton, Preston, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images, possessing a prohibited image of a child, and possessing extreme pornography. The judge, Recorder Anthony O'Donohoe told defence barrister Richard Brigden that he had decided to follow the recommendations in the pre-sentence report As a result, Mr Brigden offered no additional mitigation in Woods' defence.

Woods, who sobbed in the dock throughout the hearing, was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment, suspended for two years. Recorder O'Donohoe said: "For part of the time, you were a serving police officer. You should have known better and the public have the right to expect higher standards of behaviour from police officers."

Under the terms of his suspended sentence, Woods will have to complete 180 hours of unpaid work and attend 30 rehabiliation activity requirement days. He is subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years and will have to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years. Recorder O'Donohoe added: "You will inevitably lose your employment as a police officer and, in fact, you will leave the police service in disgrace."

Following the hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Dave Jones, of GMP’s Professional Standards Branch said: "Possessing indecent images is disgusting behaviour from a police officer, who members of the public trust to fight crime and keep people safe. Greater Manchester Police's officers and staff are expected to demonstrate the highest standards of behaviour and those who fall below these standards are investigated and, when relevant, prosecuted. Following the conclusion of criminal proceedings, misconduct proceedings will commence in due course.”

Description

A married security guard who discussed raping babies with other paedophiles he was sharing extreme child and animal porn videos with has been jailed for two years.

Vile Carl Harvey, 39, was sent to prison after a sheriff told him he played a part in abuse which left children physically and psychologically damaged.

Read More

Description

A convicted child sex offender who finds it "impossible to tell the truth" posed as a paramedic to accompany a sick woman to hospital, leaving her "terrified" when his real identity emerged. John Lightfoot, 52, broke a court order when he pretended to be a medic called Paul, a court heard.

He took her to seek medical help and escorted her home in a taxi. The criminal even lied to a priest and repeated claims he was Paul when he was spotted with the woman.

The incident on November 12 last year left the woman, who was a victim of domestic violence, feeling 'terrified', StokeonTrentLive report ed. Lightfoot was jailed for two-and-a-half years after magistrates convicted him of failing to comply with notification requirements of the sex offenders' register.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard Lightfoot - who was convicted of a child sexual assault in 2013 - was previously handed a two-year suspended sentence for breaching the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) after going by the name of Jay Maddox without informing the police.

Despite registering that name with officials, Lightfoot was caught out again when he used the alias 'Paul' at the pub in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. Mark Brookes, prosecuting, said: "A domestic violence victim was in the pub and he introduced himself as a paramedic called Paul.

"She became unwell and was taken to hospital. The defendant went with her and returned from the hospital to her address in a taxi.

"She resides in a property run by a charity. He was seen telling a priest if she came back to his house he would look after her. He was trying to manipulate her.

"On December 3, 2021, officers attended the defendants home and recovered documents concerning a matter of domestic violence. He told officers he did not know who she was.

"In February he was arrested at his address." In a statement read to the court, the victim said: "He made me feel uncomfortable in the taxi. I felt anxious and terrified of him and I dont want any contact with him."

Stuart Muldoon, mitigating, said: "He knows he is going to go to custody and his concern is his mother who is 92-years-old. She has suffered a stroke and is in the Royal Stoke.

"He has been her carer and will be on his release. His concern is that she may no longer be around." Sentencing, Judge David Fletcher told Lightfoot: "You are a man who simply finds lying a very easy thing to do. You find it impossible to tell the truth.

"This offence is extremely worrying and the victim was clearly vulnerable. You lied to her. You repeated that to a priest when you went back to where she was living. This is a deliberate failure to comply with requirements."

Lightfoot, of Fielding Street, Stoke, was also handed a restraining order and will remain on a sexual harm prevention order.

Description

A man who admitted raping an 18-year-old woman after being on the run for eight years has been jailed. Remus Covaciu, 28, attacked the teenager outside a club in Aberdeen in January 2013. A European Arrest Warrant was granted in July 2020 and the Romanian national was extradited from France to Scotland in April last year. Covaciu was jailed for three years and nine months at the High Court in Edinburgh on Friday. He admitted rape, failing to show for an earlier hearing, and breaching bail. Seen on CCTV Prosecutor John McElroy had previously told the High Court in Glasgow that the victim went to a friend's birthday party and then to Institute nightclub in Aberdeen's Bridge Street. After leaving the club, she was seen on CCTV sitting on the pavement as Covaciu approached. Covaciu, who lived in the Torry area of the city at the time, was seen talking to the teenager before raping her. A CCTV operator alerted police to the victim in the street. Mr McElroy said: "When officers arrived, she was intoxicated, in a dishevelled state and had no recollection [of being attacked]. "Covaciu was traced to a nearby shop by police." He was held in custody that night and appeared in court days later. 'Prolonged her suffering' Covaciu failed to turn up to his trial at the High Court in Edinburgh in November 2013 and failed to sign in at a police station twice while on bail. A warrant was issued for his arrest. He was later traced to France, where he had settled with his partner and two children. Defence solicitor advocate Iain McSporran QC said: "He hopes upon his release he will be able to continue his family life. He accepts he must be punished." Judge Lady Drummond told Covaciu: "You are a first offender and were 19 when this offence occurred. You raped a young woman while she was so intoxicated as to be incapable of refusing or giving consent. "This young woman was a stranger to you before you committed this offence. You took advantage of her vulnerability for your own sexual gratification." She added: "I have read the victim impact statement from the complainer. It is apparent from that that your crime has had a profound impact on her. The delay caused by your departure has prolonged her suffering." Covaciu was placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Description

A paedophile who had sex parties with children has been allowed to change his name.

Steven Sullivan was jailed for six years in 2009 after the then 18-year-old hosted sick events attended by boys and girls aged as young as 12. Between 10 and 20 kids would attend each sordid gathering and were plied with drink and drugs.

The pervert would arrange for taxis to pick his victims up, and indecent pictures and videos of children were found on computers and mobile phones when police raided his home. Officers also discovered disturbing chat logs where Sullivan groomed girls and asked other twisted adults to send him images of five-year-olds.

He was subsequently convicted a string of sexual offences but was released on licence in January 2012. Just over a year later, in April 2013, he was arrested on suspicion of raping a 15-year-old girl - but charges were ultimately dropped "due to weaknesses in the case".

However, Sullivan was recalled for breaching his licence conditions and remained in prison until November 2014. The sex offender continued with his despicable behaviour though, playing with himself in front of a camera while talking to a 14-year-old girl online.

He also bought two mobile phones without telling police - against the terms of his sexual offences prevention order - and used one of them to send the teenager sexually charged texts during 2015.

Sullivan, then of Damwood Road in Speke, admitted engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and breaching his SOPO. He was locked up for three years aged 27 in July 2016.

The aforementioned order was extended at this point, and it now runs indefinitely. Today, Friday, Sullivan appeared back before Liverpool Crown Court in a bid to have its conditions amended in order to allow him to change his name.

Wearing a white 2007/08 Liverpool away shirt in court, he submitted that he had struggled to gain and keep employment in the past due to the publicity of his crimes in the media. He also claimed that he had been subjected to harassment at his home address on several occasions.

Judge Denis Watson approved a change to the SOPO which will allow Sullivan to change his name by deed poll in the next 10 weeks. He must also notify Lancashire Police, the Probation Service, the Crown Prosecution Service and Liverpool Crown Court of his new identity within 48 hours of this alteration.

An additional requirement was also added to the order, requiring him to inform the authorities of the details of any planned foreign travel at least seven days before his scheduled departure. Giving his judgement, the QC said: "In short, Mr Sullivan's offending was reported with his name prominent in the reporting such that a general search of his name and this area leads very quickly to a detailed report of some of the facts that underline the convictions - which has led to a numbers of issues for Mr Sullivan, including the loss of employment where he has performed his job well and without complaint.

"But when employers find out about his past, which he did not have to disclose because it didn't involve working with children, he has been summarily dismissed and his accommodation has been targeted by those hostile with him by reason of his previous convictions. He is clear in his application that he does not seek to alter the other prohibitions.

"However, he does say he is unable effectively to function and continue his rehabilitation - which he is trying to do - while the public and employers are able to read of his past, because it prevents him from obtaining work or retaining work and because of the risks to him from others. He now wishes to try and protect himself by changing his name.

"The protections of the system are still in place, because they will have responsibility for checking up on him. They will know precisely where he is and what name he is going under."

No parties objected to the amendments passed. The SOPO also limits Sullivan's use of electronic devices capable of accessing the internet and his contact with children, while he is banned from keeping any image of an under 18 without the permission of their parent or guardian.

Description

A SHAMED police constable who resigned days before pleading guilty to owning extreme pornography won a Thames Valley Police award for his community work. Craig Finch, 38, was described as a reliable, highly respected and an invaluable colleague when he topped the Oxfordshire category in the forces Community Policing Awards in 2020. The St Aldates police station-based constable was decorated for his work with the citys homeless. He was said to have built up trust with those who feel injustice or have a lack of confidence in the police. The citation was removed from the force's website following his conviction, a spokesman said. Finch, from Banbury, appeared before High Wycombe Magistrates Court today, pleading guilty to a single count of possession of extreme pornographic material. By law, extreme pornography is material that is grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character. It can include videos or images showing acts that threaten a persons life, depictions of rape, sexual acts that involve serious injury, intercourse with a corpse or sexual activity between a person and animal. Court documents show Finch had been charged with possession on November 24 last year in Banbury of an SD memory card containing five videos that portrayed in an explicit and realistic way an act which resulted or was likely to result in serious injury to a persons private parts. Any reasonable person would think that the person in the image was real, the charge added. The offence with which he has been charged carries a maximum sentence of three years imprisonment. A defendant is only placed on the sex offender register if they receive a jail sentence of more than two years. Finch will be sentenced on September 19 at High Wycombe Magistrates Court. Thames Valley Police said the officer had resigned on Wednesday, two days before his court appearance. He had been suspended from duty since November last year. A misconduct hearing was held behind closed doors on Thursday in front of Chief Constable John Campbell. The chief constable found Finch guilty of gross misconduct and would have fired him had the officer not resigned. He will be placed on the National Police Chief Council's barred list. Following Finchs conviction at High Wycombe Magistrates Court, Deputy Chief Constable Jason Hogg said: Whenever an officer is accused of breaking the law we will investigate thoroughly and where evidence is found it will be presented it to the Crown Prosecution Service. It is entirely unacceptable to myself, to the force, as well as to the public for someone who is supposed to uphold the law and protect others, to have committed such an offence and remain an officer.

Description

A man who committed a series of rapes and sexual assaults across Edinburgh has been jailed. Emmanuel Anoliefo was previously convicted at the High Court in Edinburgh in July of four charges of rape, involving three different women, two charges of sexual assault, three of threatening and abusive behaviour and one of stalking. The 39 year old carried out the crimes between November 2018 and August 2020. At the High court in Glasgow on Friday, Anoliefo was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Detective Sergeant Mark Seymour said: Anoliefo preyed on women, some of whom he already knew. He deliberately decided to exploit others who he approached in the street and tried to befriend. He was ruthless, dangerous and cruel and has shown no remorse for his crimes. He claimed to have been brought up to respect women but his victims were left terrified and distraught and are still trying to come to terms with what has happened. I commend the bravery of every woman who came forward, some of whom testified in court, and hope that the sentencing gives them some kind of closure. I would also like to thank the public for their response to our appeal for information in August 2020, as this assisted with our investigation which led to Anoliefo being apprehended and being brought to justice. Police Scotland is committed to bringing those responsible for sexual crimes to justice and anyone wishing to report this kind of crime, no matter when it happened, should contact us.

Description

A scheming convicted sex offender pretended to be a teenage boy in online conversations with young girls in a perverted bid to try to get them to send revealing and intimate photographs of themselves to him, Hull Crown Court heard.

Obsessed and cunning Jamie Agnew used a decoy picture of a boy and even installed special software to disguise the identification of his phone. He used a virtual private network (VPN) in an attempt to prevent police being able to monitor his online activities.

But the children, including a 15-year-old girl, were "savvy enough" not to get drawn into the sexual traps he was laying for them. Agnew was then stopped after a routine police safeguarding check, the court heard.

Agnew, 40, of Wainfleet Road, Skegness, admitted three offences of breaching a sexual harm prevention order and breaching a two-year suspended prison sentence. Amber Hobson, prosecuting, told the Hull court that the suspended sentence and sexual harm prevention order were imposed at Leicester Crown Court last year for offences of making, possessing and distributing indecent images of children.

Police made an unannounced risk management visit to Agnew's Skegness home on February 16 this year and he threw himself to the floor and claimed that he needed to go to hospital. His mother handed over one mobile phone before leaving the room and shoving other mobiles into a pillow case under a duvet, but she did later hand them over. A laptop was also seized.

Agnew was asked for the password to the mobiles but he did not provide it. Police discovered that Agnew had been communicating with children under 16 on Snapchat and making requests for images of them.

He had also made sexual comments and described sexual activities but had no response to them. Agnew had a conversation with a 15-year-old girl and told her that he was a child. "The defendant deceived the child into having conversations with him," said Miss Hobson. "The risk of harm to her was very serious."

The children seemed to have not been taken in by the deception, but there was potential for severe harm. Agnew had installed software on his phone that allowed him to hide his IP address and had a virtual private network which allowed him to change the IP address and anonymise his online activities, in breach of the order. His internet activity history had to be available under the order so that checks could be made by police.

Cathy Kioko-Gilligan, mitigating, said that Agnew had made admissions and pleaded guilty. He had been in custody on remand.

Recorder Peter Makepeace QC told Agnew: "You were using Snapchat to contact girls under 16. You pretended to be a child yourself. You furnished a photo of a child under 16 and were requesting pictures of the victims to be sent through to you."

Agnew sent suggestive text messages and had discussions of a personal and intimate nature and was chatting with a 15-year-old girl. He used the decoy photograph of a child "to lend some credibility to your claim to be a child" during his chats. "It's extremely fortunate that all the children seemed to be savvy enough not to have engaged too far with you," said Recorder Makepeace.

Agnew was jailed for three years and nine months. The sentence included a consecutive 18 months for breaching the suspended sentence.