Locations
Lower Grove Road, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S40
Description
A convicted sex offender who pretended to be a teenager and sent sexually explicit messages to children on social media has been jailed.
Tom Brown created two accounts on Snapchat, including one he used to pose as his ‘older brother’ and messaged what he thought were girls aged 12 and 13. However he was actually speaking to undercover police officers.
The 34-year-old committed the offences while subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order banning him from using any messaging service to contact anyone under the age of 16.
Brown, who has a number of previous convictions for similar offences, set up an account on Snapchat and began messaging an account he believed belonged to a 13-year-old girl in June 2023. He claimed to be a 14-year-old boy from Sheffield who had an older brother and asked the girl if she would travel to meet them both for sexual activity.
On the same date, Brown also started messaging another account, which he believed to belong to a 12-year-old girl. He initially said he was a 14-year-old from Sheffield but then later claimed to be a 12-year-old from Derby.
Brown continued messaging this account for several days, asking the girl to send pictures of herself. He also sent pictures and videos to her showing him performing a sex act.
Investigations found the Snapchat account was being accessed via an IP address linked to registered sex offender Brown’s home in Lower Grove Road, Chesterfield.
He was arrested on 19 June 2023 and subsequently charged with:
- attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child
- causing a child aged 13 to 15 to watch/look at an image of sexual activity,
- arrange/facilitate commission of child sex offence – sexual activity – no penetration
- attempt to cause/incite a female child aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity – no penetration
- attempt to cause a female aged 13 or over to engage in sexual activity – no penetration
- five counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.
He admitted the charges and appeared at Derby Crown Court for sentencing on Monday 8 January when he was jailed for three years and eight months with an extended licence period of three years. He must also sign the sex offender’s register and was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.