Jordan McCarthy-Simmonette 26

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A FORMER karate coach caught with more than 100 indecent images was caught red-handed when he tried to talk to a minor online.

Jordan McCarthy-Simmonette was arrested in October 2019 by officers from one of Northumbria Polices most specialist units the Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT).

Detectives acted after receiving information the 24-year-old had been talking to someone he believed was a 14-year-old male online but was actually engaging with a registered sex offender, who was the subject of a separate ongoing police investigation.

When he was arrested his Newcastle home was also searched and a tablet and mobile phone were seized and taken for examination.

Digital Investigators soon uncovered 109 Category C images stored on the devices, and McCarthy-Simmonnette was charged with attempted sexual communication with a child and possession of indecent images of children.

Following his arrest, extensive partnership work was carried out between officers and partners from the local authorities to ensure McCarthy-Simmonette was removed from his role as coach and appropriate measures put in place.

McCarthy-Simmonette, of Teviotdale Gardens, in Heaton appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on Wednesday (April 20) where he was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment suspended for two years, after previously pleading guilty.

He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for seven years and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Rob Smoult from POLIT said: As a force we are committed to keeping children and young people safe from harmful and dangerous online predators.

In this case, McCarthy-Simmonette believed he was engaging with a 14-year-old boy and unfazed by this. That behaviour is completely unacceptable.

Thanks to a thorough investigation, a solid case was presented before the courts and McCarthy-Simmonette was left with little opportunity to deny his actions and I am pleased he has admitted his guilt.

We know that cases like this can cause concern in our communities, but I want to reassure people that we are constantly working with our partners in the local authority and across a wide range of services to ensure the right measures and appropriate safeguards are in place to keep children and young people safe from harm.

We will continue to work with schools, youth groups and parents to highlight the dangers which can be present across different platforms and would encourage adults to keep talking to their children about who they engaging with, and to keep promoting the use of privacy settings.