Michael Denman 35

Description

A man sent sexually explicit videos of himself to recipients he thought were children. Michael Denman, 34, sent a friend request and a video of himself engaged in a sex act to a Snapchat account on February 8.

The two began a conversation, with the victim stating she was 14 and Denman claiming he was an 18-year-old man called Sam. Denman, a registered sex offender from Cambridge, was not deterred by the victim's age and sent her 14 videos in two days, of which 13 were of him engaged in sex acts.

He repeatedly asked the victim, who was actually an adult, sexualised questions, requested sexually explicit content from her and requested a photo of her wearing her school uniform. Denman previously lived in Cambridge, but last year informed police of an additional address in Watling Street, Little Brickhill, near Milton Keynes.

This address was identified following investigations into the IP address linked to Denman's account. He was arrested on April 26 and his mobile phone seized.

When officers searched the property, it was clear Denman was living there. They were able to match the backdrops in some of the videos with the interior of the home, as well as discovering a bedspread pictured in some of the content.

While the casefile was being assessed by the Crown Prosecution Service, officers from Cambridgeshire Constabulary received information about a similar investigation being conducted by another force. In February, Denman had used the same Snapchat account to contact two other adults, one posing as a 12-year-old boy and the other a girl of the same age.

Although they were clear about their age, he sent them multiple videos of himself engaged in sex acts. He also asked the 12-year-old girl sexually explicit questions and discussed travelling to meet her for sex.

Denman admitted inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity, three counts of causing a girl under 13 to look at sexual imagery, three of sexual communication with a child, and breaching requirements under the Sex Offenders Register. He was jailed for five years and given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order at Peterborough Crown Court on Friday (October 20).

DC Andrew McKeane said: "Denman genuinely believed these three accounts were being used by children. Once knowing they were children Denman was not perturbed and continued to prey on them and bombarded them with sexually explicit content.

"He is clearly a danger to children, and I'm pleased he has been brought to justice for his actions. I would urge parents to take an interest in their children's online interactions and speak openly and honestly with them about any concerns they or the child may have. The NSPCC provide a wealth of knowledge to enable parents to protect their children from such predators."