Locations
Plane Close, Walton, Liverpool, Merseyside, L9
Description
A paedophile claimed he sent a decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl explicit photos and sexual messages as an escape from the stress of his dad dying from cancer.
Alex McDonald, 20, first messaged Amber on February 9 last year, asking on Kik if she wanted a tribute a type of sex act someone films and sends on.
Despite Amber saying she was 13, McDonald carried on sending pictures and videos of his penis and lied that he was 16, saying: Is that bad, or are you fine with it?
When she told him its up to you, he said: I mean, Im fine with it just making sure youre not scared.
Liverpool Crown Court heard McDonald sent more nude photos, along with others clearly showing his face, and encouraged her to perform a sex act before the messages stopped on March 19.
Police went to his home in Walton, where he lived with his parents, a week later and his mum identified him from one of the selfies.
Officers seized his two iPhones and a tower computer, before he attended a voluntary police interview on September 20.
He gave a prepared statement, in which he admitted talking to Amber and accepted his actions were unlawful and he knew she was 13.
McDonald said he was ashamed before answering no comment to all further questions.
He was jailed for 20 months after pleading guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause a child aged 13 to 15 to look at an image of sexual activity, and attempting to cause a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity.
Defending, David Birrell told the court: He was at a low ebb in his life at the time he committed these offences.
He was at home, essentially isolating, caring for his terminally ill father. His father has stage four cancer, which has spread throughout his body and, frankly, he has not long left.
Hes lived beyond the prognosis he was given, which was 12 months, and the defendant was struggling emotionally and turned to alcohol.
He sought to escape I suppose online and it was against that background that he committed these offences.
Mr Birrell told the court McDonalds mum had written a letter saying he is a decent person and calling his behaviour a one-off.
He said the author of a pre-sentence report believed McDonalds dads cancer may very well have contributed to this offending and suggested his risk could be managed in the community with a sex offender treatment programme.
But Judge Anil Murray told McDonald that in his chats with Amber, you made it clear you werent bothered about her being 13.
He also observed McDonald said he didnt remember the conversations, denied having any sexual interest in children and said he didnt think the chats were illegal at the time.
The judge added: Youre now in a relationship with someone. I note you havent told her about this case.
He went on: Im not convinced youre a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.
You continue to say you cant remember what you did. You say you cant remember the conversations. You say you have no sexual interest in children.
All of those contentions seem very unlikely to me.
McDonald was also ordered to sign on the Sex Offenders Register and comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.