Ben Dawson 37

Description

A paedophile bragged to friends about targeting vulnerable underage girls despite being on bail for previous offences.

Ben Dawson spoke to three girls over two years, but two were decoy profiles operated by paedophile hunters who later confronted him.

The 34-year-old repeatedly asked the girls for nude images and videos while also sending them explicit pictures and encouraging them to watch pornography.

But despite being on bail for his earlier offending and being warned by a friend about his actions, Dawson, of West End, Alfreton, continued to prey on young girls and tried to meet them, telling them that he could not have sex with them until they were 18.

Sentencing Dawson to five years in prison at Derby Crown Court, sitting at the Mercure Hotel in Nottingham, on Friday, October 29, Recorder Adrian Reynolds said: "What makes this case particularly serious is, in a nutshell, the determination with which you have continued to offend.

"You had already ignored a specific warning that [one of the girls] was vulnerable and should be left alone. That made no impact..

"Even when you were arrested a second time you continued to offend again. It is of considerable concern to me that you appear to be completely in denial about your sexual attraction to underage girls and you rather see yourself as the victim of all this.

"I don't agree with the defence's submission about that you were insisting that you would not have had sexual intercourse with any of these girls until they are 18. I can't for the life of me think of what other reason you had to meet them other than to engage in sexual intercourse.

"I'm going to pass a fairly substantial prison sentence upon you."

David Outerside, prosecuting, told the court that Dawson's offending began when he started messaging a 15-year-old girl in January 2019, despite being told by a social worker that the girl was vulnerable and at risk of exploitation.

He asked for sexually explicit videos of her and even got his nephew to convince the girl to unblock him on social media when she tried to stop speaking to him.

Dawson, who has a previous conviction for indecent assault, also repeatedly invited her to his house, but she never accepted, before he was arrested in August 2019.

But while this was being investigated, he made contact with a fake profile named Ellie Stevens in February 2020, who was actually a self-styled paedophile hunter posing as a 13-year-old girl.

He messaged the decoy saying "I'm 32 and have my own place" and offered to buy her gaming credits, before starting to talk about sex and having a relationship with her.

He later called her while touching himself and said that she should too, saying that he hoped "you get horny".

The group then contacted police and he was arrested again in April 2020, before being bailed, only for Dawson to then contact a second decoy, posing as a 14-year-old girl called Danni, on March 17 2021..

Despite the fake profile again making her age clear from the start, Dawson bragged about being arrested and said that the investigation was based on fake evidence as his account was hacked.

He admitted that he could "get done" for meeting a girl under the age of 16, and at this point was warned by his friend about his behaviour, but neither stopped him from telling the fake profile that she was "stunning" and that he would have asked her on a date if she was 18.

He repeated his earlier behaviour by sending explicit photos and arranged to meet the girl at Alfreton bus station, sending her links to pornographic websites so that she could "get ideas" in the meantime.

When he went to meet who he thought was Danni, he was confronted by the group and arrested again.

Andrew Fitch-Holland, defending, admitted that the case was "difficult" to defend but said that he did not pose a serious risk.

He said: "It is clear that this defendant is at pains to point out that he has no intention of forcing himself upon anybody and the need of any sexual activity to be postponed until the victim is 18.

"The reality is that Mr Dawson himself is a man with a high degree of vulnerability. He has learning difficulties, he is dyslexic.

"He [Dawson] has a extreme degree of naivety. He seems prepared to disclose the nature of his offending to others in custody.

"The reality is this is a very immature man. His desire to stay at home, locked away playing video games, means he has not been able to engage properly with his offending behaviour."

Alongside his prison sentence, Recorder Reynolds also placed Dawson on the sex offender register for life and gave him an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and one count of engaging in sexual communication with a child, attempting to meet a girl under the age of 16 years, attempting to cause or incite a girl 13-15 to engage in sexual activity, attempting to cause or incite a girl aged 13-15 to watch or look at pornographic images, attempting to engage in sexual activity in the presence of a child and attempting to meet a girl under the age of 16 years following grooming.

He must also pay a victim surcharge.