Northamptonshire school volunteer sentenced in court after sending sexual messages to children on Snapchat

A man has been handed a suspended prison sentence after engaging in sexual communication with three children in Northamptonshire

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, attended Northampton Crown Court on Wednesday, March 1 after pleading guilty to three counts of engaging in sexual communication with children, two counts of making indecent photographs of children and one count of possessing indecent images of children.

The court heard that the man was volunteering at a school when the offences took place and he began to add various students on the photo and video sharing social media app, Snapchat.

Caroline Bray, prosecuting, said a conversation with one student seemed normal at first until he started to call her “babe” and asked her to get her parents to agree for him to tutor her and she became uncomfortable.

The defendant then began to send her images of him, which were initially just of his face, but then they became “suggestive” like biting his lip, the court heard. This led to him sending photos of his genitalia.

Ms Bray said the child felt unable to back out of what she got into and sent a nude photo back - to which, the defendant suggested meeting in the school toilet so they could engage in sexual acts. Because of this, she became too scared to go to the toilets on her own, the court heard.

Two other schoolgirls came forward about the man contacting them on Snapchat with one alleging that he used inappropriate language in his messages.

The court heard that all three victims reached out to the defendant’s then partner to tell her what happened. She terminated her relationship with him and called him a “paedophile.”

This led to the defendant’s arrest and police seized a number of his devices, which contained at least nine indecent images of children.

One of the schoolgirls, in a statement, said his behaviour left her with anxiety, trust issues and - initially - night terrors. She now has problems forming new relationships, suffers with panic attacks and has burst into tears in public when she saw someone who looked like the defendant.

Ms Bray said: “He made her feel special and she trusted him.”

Liam Muir, in mitigation, described the man as someone who was an “immature young man,” who had been exposed to indecent content from a young age, which skewed his thoughts on what reality is.

The defence barrister said: “Looking back, he realises how inappropriate his actions were and he is remorseful for that.”

Mr Muir added that the defendant is “willing and enthusiastic” to engage with authorities to make sure he gets the help he needs.

Her Honour Judge Lucking KC handed him a 12 month prison sentence suspended for 24 months.

He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £32 as well as undertake 35 sessions of an accredited sexual offending programme, 40 rehabilitation requirement days and 100 hours of unpaid work.

The defendant was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order was imposed for the same length of time.