Description
A perverted pensioner has been branded a "sexual predator" after he brazenly ignored repeated court orders and deliberately used false names to contact vulnerable children online in highly sexualised messages.
Blatant repeat offender Stephen Sweeting was "heavily convicted" and he had a long history of sexual offending dating back to 1968 but that did not stop him from trying to outwit the police by using an online alias, Hull Crown Court heard.
Sweeting, 72, of Bubwith, north of Howden, admitted engaging in sexual communication with a child, breaching a sexual harm prevention order and two offences of failing to comply with his notification requirements as a convicted sex offender.
Oliver Shipley, prosecuting, said that Sweeting was a "heavily convicted sexual predator with an established history of sexual offending" dating back as far as 1968. He had been jailed for two years on June 17, 2020 for attempting to communicate sexually with a child and breaching a two-year suspended sentence made in June 2019.
This was imposed on Sweeting, who was living at the time in Old Goole, for offences including making indecent images of children and attempting to communicate with a child, who was really an undercover police officer.
His convictions also included sexual assault in 1968 and 1971, sexual assault and indecent exposure in 1973, sexual assault and gross indecency with a child in 1973 and sexual assault of a girl in 1974 and 1977. He had a total of 43 previous offences between 1960 and 2020, 17 of them for sexual offences and 10 for breaching court orders.
The latest offences came to light on July 24 last year when police monitoring Sweeting's activities became aware that he was having online conversations, including on Snapchat, using an alias name that was not registered with the police. He was arrested on September 25 last year for breaching his notification requirements as a sex offender.
His home was searched and he admitted using unregistered names on social media and having sexualised conversations with young children. He had intimate images of his private parts and he had received indecent images. Police from Hampshire made contact with Humberside Police because Sweeting had been traced as having had grossly indecent conversations with a 12-year-old girl. He had sent her intimate images of himself. He had got sexual gratification from his actions.
"This defendant poses a high risk of sexual reoffending and he is a high risk of serious harm to female children," said Mr Shipley. "This is a serious breach. He has a history of disobeying court orders."
Sweeting targeted people that court orders were designed to protect and he made determined attempts to avoid detection by using an alias. "His previous convictions greatly aggravate this offence," said Mr Shipley.
Ben Hammersley, mitigating, said that Sweeting pleaded guilty and he made frank and forthright admissions to the police. "He admitted to all his behaviour and then some," said Mr Hammersley.
"He does express remorse for his actions and he recognises the impact that his actions will have had on the children. There were real children reading these messages and it is likely to have an impact on them for a number of years."
There were long periods when Sweeting did not commit any offences. "When he doesn't have access to the internet, he doesn't commit offences," said Mr Hammersley.
Sweeting now had a just "brick phone" that allowed him only to make calls and send text messages. He had a "litany of health issues" and he had not worked for a long time before his retirement.
"This defendant has received almost every type of sentence and he recognises that he faces an immediate custodial sentence," said Mr Hammersley.
Judge Alexander Menary told Sweeting: "You are someone who has a long history of sexual offending. There are convictions dating from as long ago as 1968." Sweeting denied that he had a sexual attraction to children but his previous convictions suggested otherwise. "This was a very serious breach, causing or risking very serious harm," said Judge Menary.
Sweeting, who was on bail, was jailed for three years. He was given a sexual harm prevention order for life and he must register as a sex offender for life.