A YOUNG man who engaged in persistent sexual online chat with what he thought was a 12-year-old girl has been jailed.
Mitchell Harris Robinson, 19, engaged in eight separate conversations, sent a multiplicity of indecent photos and also lewd video footage having made contact through the Snapchat social media app.
Within 18 minutes of the conversation beginning, Carlisle Crown Court heard today (THURS), Robinson had made his first sexual remark in relation to the “girl’s” school uniform. And over the course of a month, the chat progressed to the point that he encouraged her to take part in full sexual intercourse.
It emerged Robinson was actually corresponding with an undercover police operative.
He admitted one offence of attempted sexual communication with a child, and four charges of attempting to incite a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.
Judge James Adkin heard of Robinson’s immaturity and social isolation, and considered specialist background reports. These included one from a psychologist, although the judge said he did not agree with the author’s conclusion that there was no sexual motive behind the teen’s offending.
Passing a 28-month custodial sentence, Judge Adkin told Robinson, of Fell View, Cockermouth: “You are a perfectly intelligent young man. You must have known that sex with children was abhorrent. You persisted with your conduct nevertheless.”
