AARON SUTTON FROM NORTHENDEN SENTENCED AFTER ONLINE SEXUAL OFFENCES INVOLVING CHILDREN

In February 2021, Aaron Sutton, a 22-year-old resident of Northenden, faced serious criminal charges related to his inappropriate online conduct involving minors. Sutton had previously been convicted of possessing indecent images of children, which resulted in a court ruling that initially spared him from immediate imprisonment. However, subsequent events revealed a disturbing pattern of deception and continued offending.

After being given a chance to demonstrate rehabilitation, Sutton’s progress was periodically reviewed by a judge. During one such review, it was uncovered that Sutton had maintained contact with a young girl through online messaging platforms. The messages exchanged between them were described as highly sexualized, indicating a clear breach of the conditions set by his previous court orders. This revelation was particularly troubling given Sutton’s history and the assurances he had provided to authorities about his compliance.

Judge Anthony Cross QC expressed his disapproval during the sentencing, stating that Sutton had been 'fooling' the probation service and had lied to him directly. The judge emphasized that Sutton had falsely claimed to be responding to the terms of his court-ordered restrictions. “I was assured by the probation service and by you that you were responding to the terms of the order,” Judge Cross said. “That was just a lie. You were given the opportunity to change, you didn’t. You were lying to yourself, lying to the probation service, lying to your father and lying to me.”

Further investigation revealed that during the period of his suspended sentence, Sutton had established a relationship with a 12-year-old girl who was in foster care. The girl, described as vulnerable and with a difficult personal history, considered Sutton a friend from her previous school. She believed him to be her 'boyfriend' and had sent him photographs of herself without any prompting from him. Sutton’s interactions with her were deemed to be offences against a minor in a position of vulnerability, and his actions worsened her already fragile condition.

Manchester Crown Court heard that Sutton had previously received a six-month suspended sentence in October 2019 for possessing indecent images of children. As part of his sentence, a sexual harm prevention order was issued, which prohibited him from having unsupervised contact with female children and restricted his access to internet-enabled devices unless they were registered with the police. Despite these restrictions, Sutton attended court hearings where his compliance was reviewed, yet it was discovered that he had continued to contact the girl online during this period.

Prosecutor Rachel Faux explained that Sutton had repeatedly assured the court of his compliance, even as he was actively breaching the order. The police investigation uncovered that Sutton had been in contact with the girl via online messaging and had also possessed a laptop that was not registered with authorities, further violating the court’s orders. Sutton was arrested and released on bail but did not cease his attempts to communicate with the girl, notably trying to contact her through Snapchat.

Ultimately, Sutton pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including two counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child and three counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order. His actions have led to a significant custodial sentence, reflecting the severity of his offences and the ongoing risks posed by his conduct.