An online predator who “stole the innocence” of a schoolgirl as he sent money and gifts in exchange for images of her engaging in sex acts has been jailed for more than seven years.
Martin Cole, 32, was visited by police at a Cleator Moor address in June 2020, when a host of devices were seized including a mobile phone.
Hotel worker Cole was released under investigation but arrested again in September 2021, at his place of employment in Workington when another a mobile phone was taken from him.
Some 5,791 illegal still and moving images of children — some aged just one or two — were found on the two mobile phones with 1,809 classed in category A, the most serious.
A sick library of Snapchat images featured a girl aged just 11 or 12 with whom Cole had been in online contact during many months.
She was identified by police who learned Cole had sent the child JD Sports clothing and also transferred £1,862 to her through PayPal on 96 separate occasions.
“If you send me anything,” Cole had said in reference to illegal photos and videos she passed to him, “I’ll get you whatever you want.”
In one video she performed a striptease and, in another, a sex act.
Carlisle Crown Court heard isolated Cole had even posed as the fictitious father of a made-up friend of the girl and had contact with her mum as suspicious grew over the presents’ origin.
The mother was told her daughter had been the victim of Cole’s criminal activity on Christmas Eve. The youngster also later reported that when she had tried to cease contact with Cole, he said he knew where she lived and hinted he would track her down to any new address if she moved.
“As a parent I feel like I have failed my daughter,” the girl’s distressed mum said on behalf of the family in a deeply moving impact statement. “This man managed to get to my daughter without us knowing it. This has affected us in a bad way.
“It has massively affected her both emotionally and psychologically,” the woman added, saying of Cole: “He invaded our home. He invaded my daughter and stole her innocence. He invaded me as a mother and he invaded our lives.”
Cole, of Greystone Place, Cleator Moor, admitted eight crimes: three of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity; causing a child to watch a sexual act; three of making indecent images of children; and possessing extreme pornographic pictures.
Sean Harkin, defending, said: “The best mitigation I can put forward on behalf of this defendant is he is of previous good character.” Mr Harkin added: “He struggles to understand the reason for his offending.”
Jailing Cole for seven years three months, Judge Nicholas Barker told Cole: “In many ways you are every parent’s worst nightmare, lurking in the shadows of the internet, preying on children in such a way that the parent has no knowledge of you or what you were up to. No control over it. No knowledge of it. No ability to stop it.”
Branding Cole a predator, the judge added: “You essentially entered into a depraved trade with her.”
Cole must sign the sex offenders’ register for life.
