CANNOCK MAN JAMIE DIBBLE SENTENCED FOR ONLINE GROOMING OF YOUNG GIRL

In July 2015, a man from Cannock named Jamie Dibble was sentenced to three and a half years in prison after being convicted of grooming a young girl over the internet. The case, heard at Stafford Crown Court, revealed disturbing details about Dibble’s online predatory behavior involving an 11-year-old girl.

According to the prosecution, Mr. David Bennett, Dibble, who was 24 years old at the time, initiated a friendship with the young girl through their shared use of Xbox gaming consoles. What began as innocent gaming interactions soon took a sinister turn as Dibble manipulated the girl into engaging in sexual conversations. Over a period of months, he persuaded her to perform sexual acts on herself and exchanged explicit photographs with her.

It was emphasized during the court proceedings that the two never met in person. Their relationship was confined to digital communication, including messages sent via mobile phones, Skype, and Facebook. Despite the lack of physical contact, the nature of their interactions was deeply inappropriate and illegal.

The illicit relationship was uncovered when the girl’s brother informed their mother that his sister had been communicating with a 17-year-old. Concerned about her daughter’s activities, the parents initially found her evasive. However, their suspicions grew when they examined her mobile phone, which revealed the extent of the online grooming and explicit exchanges.

Jamie Dibble, of Lime Road, Cannock, admitted to multiple charges, including inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, making indecent images of a child, causing a child to view indecent images, and possessing such images. The court heard that Dibble’s actions were driven by his own desires for sexual gratification, despite his physical disabilities.

In mitigation, Mr. Neil Gerrity explained that Dibble suffers from cerebral palsy, which has made it difficult for him to establish friendships and form relationships in real life. Mr. Gerrity stated that Dibble experienced feelings of loneliness and social isolation, which led him to seek interaction online. He emphasized that Dibble and the girl never met in person, and although there was talk of a meeting, it never materialized.

Judge Mark Eades delivered the sentence, condemning Dibble’s actions. He stated, “You are an adult, a father of a child, you know perfectly well what an adult relationship is like, but you chose, online, to indulge in a relationship with an 11-year-old girl. You knew it was wrong, you did it for your own titillation. It went on for some months, involving a huge amount of traffic, to and fro. This was not a on-off isolated offence; there was considerable grooming and persuasion by you, involving a number of different activities.”

As part of his sentence, Dibble was ordered to be registered as a sex offender for life. He was also banned from working with children and was placed under a sexual harm prevention order to protect others from potential harm in the future.