HAVERHILL MAN JAILED FOR FACEBOOK MESSAGES TO SCHOOLGIRLS
A 55-year-old man from Haverhill who attempted to incite schoolgirls to engage in sexual activity has been sentenced to three years in prison.Chris Doyle, of Ladygate, Haverhill, appeared at Ipswich Crown Court on Wednesday for sentencing.
Doyle was charged with three counts of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity, with all three offences occurring between July and December 2021.
The court was told that two of these offences involved decoys—members of an online safety group had created false profiles of girls aged 13 and 14.
Prosecuting counsel Marc Brown explained that Doyle sent a Facebook friend request to the decoy posing as a 14-year-old girl in November 2021.
Although their conversation started innocuously, Doyle soon began messaging about underwear, bodily changes during puberty, and even sent an explicit photo of a woman, instructing the girl on how to touch herself.
Another decoy posing as a 13-year-old also received similar messages.
During his arrest in December 2021, devices were seized, revealing another messaging thread with a girl who appeared to be 14, exchanging sexual messages and photos.
Doyle pleaded guilty to all three counts.
His lawyer described the offences as an aberration in his otherwise clean record, noting he was not a habitual groomer, as he did not conceal his age or delete online activity records.
Doyle’s 11-year relationship ended due to these offences, and he also lost his employment.
Judge David Wilson sentenced Doyle to 54 months for each of the first two counts, later reduced to three years due to early guilty pleas, and 32 months for the third count, reduced to two years after initial denial and subsequent guilty plea.
All sentences are concurrent, totaling three years, with half to be served.
Doyle is also on the sex offenders register for 10 years and subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.
