A man who sent sexual social media messages to a 13-year-old girl while drunk has been told by a judge his criminal conduct was “reprehensible”.
Lee David Allan, now 35, engaged in an illegal early hours exchange in the summer of 2019, despite knowing the child was 21 years his junior.
Initially, the messages were innocent. But he then suggested the chat switch from Facebook to Snapchat, before asking a sexual question and suggesting he’d like to see intimate photos of her.
Prosecutor Antony Longworth told Carlisle Crown Court: “She acted very sensibly and took screenshots, photographs, of the messages on another device.” The girl contacted two friends before her family and police were alerted.
Officers seized a phone which Allan initially claimed was broken. He spoke of being “very drunk” at the time, and admitted a charge of sexual communication with a child when brought to court.
During the sentencing hearing today, Judith McCullough, defending, said Allan, of Crummock Avenue, Whitehaven, was receiving treatment at a mental health unit amid welfare concerns and a background of personal problems he was now addressing.
“He has lost his job, he has lost his reputation,” said Judith McCullough, defending. “He has accepted responsibility for his offences. He is very sorry for any distress caused.”
Recorder Abigail Hudson called Allan’s conduct “reprehensible” but accepted it was “symptomatic of deeper problems”. “This was a phenomenally foolish offence, in drink, but it also does show a sexual interest in a very young girl,” she said.
Allan received a two-year community order and rehabilitation requirement. He must sign the sex offenders’ registers and follow strict sexual harm prevention order terms, both for five years.
