Northampton paedophile jailed after sending indecent images and videos of himself to '14-year-old girls'
A Northampton paedophile has been jailed after he sent indecent images and videos of himself to who he believed were 14-year-old girls, while a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) was imposed on him.
Stephen Poulter, previously of Lindsay Avenue, appeared at Northampton Crown Court on July 10 for sentencing, after pleading guilty to two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, one count of attempting to cause a child to look at an image of sexual activity, a count of breaching a SHPO and possession of cannabis.
The 43-year-old was using a chat site to have sexualised conversations with profiles he believed belonged to two 14-year-old girls, according to police, but he was actually talking with a member of an online child abuse activist group, who went on to report him to Northamptonshire Police on February 18 this year.
Police say that despite being told each ‘child’ was just 14, Poulter had sent them indecent images and videos of himself.
Poulter was already under a SHPO imposed in 2021 following a previous conviction and he refused to to give the police access to his mobile phone despite this being a requirement of his previous sentence. Cannabis was also found at his home, upon arrest.
Speaking after sentencing, investigating officer PC Charlotte Carden of OCAIU said: “I’m pleased with the result in this case, which reflects the risks posed by Stephen Poulter who is a persistent sexual offender.
“As a department, we work tirelessly to bring sex offenders to justice, an important role we are all passionate about.
“The internet can be such a dangerous place, and we will continue to do all we can to protect children from those who would seek to do them harm online.”
Poulter was given an extended sentence – used for criminals convicted of specific offences who are deemed to be dangerous – made up of 40 months in prison and a five-year extension period on licence.
He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £228, with orders made for the forfeiture and destruction of his electronic devices and the seized cannabis.