Locations
Wellington, Somerset, TA21
Description
A man from Wellington has been jailed for 10 years for child sexual offences.
Philip Hawkes, 55, was charged with 32 offences relating to online grooming of teenage girls and inciting them to commit sexual acts and send him indecent images.
He was also found in possession of numerous indecent images of children on his media devices.
Hawkes was handed the 10 year sentence at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday (July 2) after pleading guilty at the first hearing.
Hawkes will also be placed on the sexual offenders' register for life and be required to abide by Sexual Harm Prevention Order conditions.
Detective Sergeant Chris Jay said: We are committed to hunting down any person who uses the internet as a way to abuse children, or view or share indecent images of children.
This conviction and sentence demonstrates that the police and courts will not tolerate this kind of behaviour.