GARY HORN FROM STANLEY CAUGHT IN SICK ONLINE CHAT WITH CHILD IN COUNTY DURHAM
In May 2020, a disturbing case emerged involving Gary Horn, a resident of Garden Terrace in Stanley, County Durham, who engaged in a series of highly inappropriate and illegal online communications with someone he believed to be a 12-year-old girl.The incident highlighted the dangers of online predators and the importance of vigilant law enforcement and community efforts to protect minors.
Horn initiated contact through a social media platform, where he believed he was speaking to a young girl.
Unbeknownst to him, the profile he was communicating with was a decoy created by paedophile hunters aiming to catch individuals attempting to exploit children.
Despite being informed of the girl’s age, Horn responded in a shockingly casual and inappropriate manner, saying, “Sorry, I thought you were older, my bad, fancy a f***?” Following this initial exchange, Horn continued the conversation on WhatsApp, where he escalated his inappropriate requests.
He asked the supposed girl to watch pornography and to send him images of herself dressed in revealing or “sexy” clothing.
The chat revealed Horn’s disturbing intentions and his willingness to engage in sexualized conversations with someone he believed was a child.
It was only after Horn claimed to have a conscience and decided to cease contact that the online vigilante group confronted him.
The group, which had set up the decoy profile, confronted Horn at his home address in front of his partner and young child, bringing the disturbing case to a close.
Gary Horn faced the court in Newcastle, where he pleaded guilty to attempting to communicate sexually with a child.
The court heard that the exchanges began on May 6 of the previous year, after Horn made contact with the decoy profile created by the Child Online Safety Team.
Despite being told the girl’s age, Horn continued to pursue the conversation, asking if she “fancied a f***” and moving the chat to WhatsApp.
Prosecutor Jolyon Perks detailed the nature of Horn’s messages, which included requests for the girl to dress up and send photos, as well as asking if she wanted to have sex.
When the girl indicated uncertainty, Horn encouraged her to watch pornography, further demonstrating his predatory intent.
After two days of communication, Horn severed contact but was later confronted by the online vigilante group at his residence.
As part of his sentence, Horn was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for ten years and was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same period.
Judge Amanda Rippon sentenced him to nine months in prison, suspended for two years, emphasizing the severity of his actions and the potential lifelong harm caused by such offenses.
—————————————————————————————————— CAUGHT AGAIN⚠️ A sex offender escaped an immediate prison sentence for the third time after breaching a court order by accessing online chat room sites including 'Granny Space' and 'Xtremechat'.
Gary Horn also breached his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) by deleting the internet history from his Google browser to try to conceal his use of those sites.
The 40-year-old defendant, of Ruskin Crescent, Thornley, appeared at Durham Crown Court for sentence after previously admitting six breaches of the SHPO.
Caiomhe Bicknell, prosecuting, said the defendant received a suspended prison sentence in May 2020 for attempted sexual communication with a child.
But he was made subject of the ten-year SHPO, which he breached the following year, for which he was fined.
Remaining subject of the SHPO, police monitoring officers discovered he had accessed various chat room sites, using alias names which were variations of his own name, in November last year.
These sites included 50Flirty.com, Granny Space, Granny Site and Xtremechat.
The court heard he failed to notify his offender risk manager that he had accessed those sites, and then wiped his browsing history, all in breach of the SHPO.
Judge Richard Clews told Horn: “Court orders are in place to be obeyed.
“Offenders can’t be given the impression that they can flout orders with impunity.
“ You accessed five different chat rooms and deleted your browsing history.
I accept they were adult chat rooms with a low degree of likelihood of you seeking communication with a child.
“Nevertheless, they were deliberate breaches of the order to which you knew you were subject.
“Happily, little harm seems to have been caused, but the risks are plain for everyone to see.” Judge Clews said they merited 12 months’ imprisonment, but he had to decide whether to make that immediate or suspend the sentence.
“ You are described as a high risk in a number of respects, but you have a police officer designated to supervise you who will no doubt keep a keen eye on your activity.” The judge said he had to consider that the defendant is working, “in a decent job”, and immediate prison would impact on his partner, given her health issues.
He, therefore, suspended sentence for two years and ordered the defendant to attend 25 rehabilitation activity sessions with the Probation Service and carry out 75 hours’ unpaid work.
