WHEATLEY HILL MAN BOMBARDED TEENAGE GIRL WITH INCREASINGLY SUGGESTIVE TEXTS
A man who developed an unhealthy obsession with a young teenage girl subjected her to a barrage of flirtatious messages, a court was told.The communications, sent by 36-year-old Anthony Alan Luke, initially appeared harmless but gradually grew more suggestive, revealing his desire to engage in sexual activity with the girl.
Durham Crown Court was informed that over a span of two months, he sent her upwards of 1,000 texts, with 109 of those messages sent in a single day.
The issue was uncovered when the girl’s mother discovered a message from Luke to her daughter, which included several kisses.
His name appeared as the sender, prompting her to confront him.
Luke claimed he had lost his phone the night before, suggesting that his son might have sent the messages.
However, when questioned, his son stated he had his own phone and was unaware of the girl’s contact details.
Police were called, and on arrest, Luke repeated that he had lost his phone and was not responsible for the messages the mother had found.
Further analysis of the girl’s phone revealed the full extent and nature of Luke’s texts.
Luke advised the girl to delete the messages to avoid getting into trouble.
She also reported that Luke would give her money to top up her prepaid phone.
Now 38 and residing at Greenwood Close, Wheatley Hill, County Durham, Luke denied two charges of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity.
However, he changed his plea to guilty on the day of his trial.
Judge Esmond Faulks, who had previously warned Luke of the likelihood of a prison sentence, stated that he was convinced by a probation recommendation that Luke should undergo an intensive sex offender treatment program.
Consequently, the judge sentenced him to three years of supervision and imposed an unlimited Sexual Offences Prevention Order.
Additionally, Luke is required to register as a sex offender for five years.
