HOMELESS MAN JAILED FOR ONLINE CHILD SEX ABUSE AND BLACKMAIL
A homeless sex offender, Brendan Reid, has been sentenced to prison after attempting to engage in online sexual communications with a fabricated 13-year-old girl.Reid believed he was talking to a minor named Layla, but in reality, he was communicating with a police decoy.
The court heard that Reid sent an explicit photo of himself and tried to blackmail the girl into sending nude photos by threatening to tell her mother about their conversations.
Prosecutor Barry White stated that 'Layla' told Reid she was 13 and refused to speak further, prompting Reid to ask if she had ever had sex before and if she met anyone on the app.
He also asked if she had ever had an older man and sent her an explicit image.
When she said she wouldn't send any explicit photos, Reid threatened to tell her mother.
The 37-year-old, who has a history of 19 previous convictions for 24 offences, pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communications with a child.
He was described as acting out of character due to personal destabilization after recent family losses.
Reid was sentenced to 15 months in prison and was placed under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for 10 years.
Judge Richard McConaghy highlighted Reid's previous criminal record, including an indeterminate sentence for public protection in 2011 and a suspended sentence in Ireland from 2023, which contributed to the aggravating circumstances of his current offense.
