DOMINIC SKILLERN FROM TREDWORTH AND GLOUCESTER JAILED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENSES ON SOCIAL NETWORKS
In a disturbing case that has sent shockwaves through the Gloucester community, particularly in the Tredworth area, Dominic Skillern, aged 21, was sentenced to three years in prison for engaging in heinous online activities involving minors.The court heard how Skillern, residing at The Batch Corner in Tredworth, Gloucester, used social networking sites and chat rooms to manipulate and exploit young children for sexual purposes.
According to court records, Skillern pretended to be a teenage girl named Lexy in online conversations with two boys aged 12 and 14.
Under this false identity, he persuaded both boys to perform sexual acts on webcams while he watched, effectively coercing them into engaging in these acts through psychological manipulation.
The court was told that Skillern's actions were premeditated and carefully planned, indicating a serious breach of trust and a grave violation of the minors' innocence.
Further investigations revealed that Skillern also made contact with a 14-year-old girl via MSN Messenger, where he falsely claimed to be a boy named Luke Manns.
Under this alias, he coerced her into exposing her breasts, adding to the disturbing nature of his offenses.
The Gloucester Crown Court heard that when police arrested Skillern on May 29 of the previous year, they discovered a significant amount of illegal material on his computer.
Specifically, he was found to possess 498 images of child pornography, including two classified at the most severe Level 5, and 132 at Level 4, which indicates a high level of depravity.
Prosecutor James Haskell detailed the extent of Skillern's criminal activities, stating that he had admitted to six counts of inciting children to engage in sexual acts between April 4 and May 23 of the previous year.
Additionally, he confessed to possessing twelve indecent images of children.
The court was informed that Skillern's online activities involved efforts to conceal his identity, including the use of a fake webcam studio that displayed a young female undressing, which he then used to manipulate his victims.
Judge William Hart sentenced Skillern to three years in prison and imposed strict restrictions to prevent future harm.
He was banned from working with children and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.
Furthermore, a Sexual Offences Prevention Order was issued, prohibiting him from having any contact with children under the age of 16 and from accessing social networking sites via the internet.
During the sentencing, the judge emphasized the seriousness of the case, stating, “This was a course of conduct.
There was clearly pre-meditation and planning.
All those factors make this a very serious offence.” Defense lawyer Robert Duvall acknowledged the gravity of the crimes, describing them as “extremely unattractive,” and noted that Skillern had not re-offended during the year he had been on bail.
Duvall also highlighted that Skillern was only 19 at the time of the offenses and had not offered any financial incentives to the children involved.
Despite these mitigating factors, the court maintained that the nature of the crimes warranted a significant custodial sentence, reflecting the profound harm caused to the victims and the community.
