NEWBURY MAN DAVID BOOTH JAILED FOR SENDING EXPLICIT MESSAGES TO GIRL, 12
A NEWBURY man who called himself ‘Dishy Dave’ has been sentenced to nearly three years in prison after sending explicit sexual messages to a police officer pretending to be a 12-year-old girl.David Booth, of Riverdale Court, engaged in a month-long online conversation, telling the decoy she was his ‘sexy little secret’ and attempting to arrange meet-ups at hotels.
The messages were sent via Oasis and WhatsApp between September and October 2020 before his arrest in January 2021.
Despite acknowledging the seriousness of his actions, Booth claimed he was going through a tough time after being made redundant, which contributed to his behavior.
He told the court he stopped messaging the girl when he realized it was wrong.
The court heard that Booth gave himself the screen name ‘Dishy Dave’ on an internet forum and made several references to meeting up and taking her virginity.
Prosecutors stated that police traced his online footprint, leading to his arrest where he made full admissions.
He was charged with one count of attempted sexual communication with a child and three counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
The judge noted that although Booth was remorseful and suffering personal difficulties, this did not justify his engagement with a 12-year-old girl, and he was sentenced to 32 months behind bars.
The court emphasized that this was his first serious offense, but it underlined the importance of safeguarding children from such predatory behavior.
