A married man who ‘groomed’ a ‘child’ and sent graphic and abhorrent messages to her has avoid a prison sentence.
Martin Smith, who said he is ‘ashamed of his actions’, started messaging what appeared to be a 13-year-old girl called Hannah but was actually an undercover police officer.
Depraved Smith, told the girl he wanted “naughty fun” and “sexy fun” and asked for a photograph of her “thingy”.
This week a court heard how police had used the Hannah profile on Kik messenger as a decoy and Smith made contact with it in January 2019.
The 39-year-old provided a false name on the app and told the girl he was in a “s*** marriage”.
Neil Pallister, prosecuting, said: “She responded saying she was 13 years old and from Wolverhampton.
“He asked if she was interested in fun with an older guy. When asked what fun, he said ‘naughty fun, sexy fun’.”
He asked about her sexual experience then went on to ask to play truth or dare and asked further intimate questions.
In exchanges which went on between January and April 2019, he told her he was “horny” and went on to send a picture of his genitals, which he claimed had been sent in the wrong chat by accident.
Smith, from High Market, Ashington, Northumberland, then asked her to sent him pictures of herself and went on to send further pictures of his genitals and asked to see her “thingy”.
Smith, who had cleaning software on his phone, had no record of the chats on his devices when police examined them.
However, Smith at Newcastle Crown Court pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child, according to Newcastle Chronicle.
Judge Tim Gittins sentenced him to eight months suspended for two years with sex offender registration and a sexual harm prevention order for five years.
The judge told him he had engaged in “repeated and persistent sexual communication” and told him: “Your behaviour was sickening, abhorrent and very worrying.
“You sent unsolicited sexual images and solicited images of a sexual nature from someone you believed to be 13 years old.
Sue Hirst, defending, said Smith, who has no previous convictions, described his own behaviour as “disgraceful”.
She added: “He is ashamed and concerned for the effect on his family when these matters become public knowledge.”
Miss Hirst added that he has a background of depression, heavy drinking, online gambling and an addiction to legal online pornography.
She said: “He recognises he had an addictive personality.
“He was looking at adult pornography at all times of the day and it became a problem for him.
“He is remorseful and approached an organisation and was referred to a counsellor and has had 18 counselling sessions.”
