A paedophile who believed he was speaking to a 13-year-old child online sent photographs of his penis and told her he was her "online boyfriend". He was in fact speaking to a decoy pretending to be a teenage girl.
Details of the Offence
Shane Thomas, 41, of Newport, began speaking to an account on Snapchat named Ava who told him she was a 13-year-old girl. The account was operated by a volunteer from a child abuse activist group, and took screenshots of the defendant's messages so they could be preserved.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard Thomas was told by the decoy she was 13-years-old, to which he responded "Oh I'm older but you can delete it if you like. I'm 30."
He continued the conversation and asked the decoy to send him photographs of herself in her underwear and naked. The defendant asked for photographs of her breasts and her body and proposed he could be her "online boyfriend".
Prosecutor Peter Donnison said Thomas asked the decoy to bathe with him, to sit on his lap and to "clean his bits with her mouth". Thomas went on to send a photograph of his penis and told her she was "drop dead sexy".
Arrest and Confrontation
He was located at an address in Newport after sending a photograph outside the front of his home. On May 4, representatives from "Dank Dragon" attended the defendant's home, which he shared with his partner, and confronted him about his offences. The police were called and the defendant was arrested, after his confrontation with Dank Dragon had been live streamed on Facebook.
Thomas, of Mountbatten Close, later pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. The court heard the defendant has a previous conviction for soliciting another person for the purpose of obtaining their sexual services as a prostitute.
Mitigation and Sentence
In mitigation, Jac Brown said his client was "lonely and isolated" at the time of the offence and has shown a great deal of "insight and remorse" for his actions. The barrister said the defendant has had to move out of a "stable family home" due to fear of reprisals and has a son under 16-years-old who he hopes to maintain a relationship with.
Recorder Barry Clarke sentenced Thomas to 12 months imprisonment suspended for 18 months. The defendant was ordered to carry out 26 sessions of the Building Better Choices Programme, a 10 day rehabilitation activity requirement, 150 hours unpaid work and was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.
