NORTH EAST MAN CAUGHT IN POLICE STING OVER CHILD ABUSE VIDEOS GETS SUSPENDED SENTENCE
A pervert who paid money hoping to see sexual videos of children overseas was snared in a police sting.A police officer had set up a profile on a secure encrypted messaging app with an image of a child.
Jamie Gibson made contact with the profile and made payments of $5 and then $10 to view what he believed would be sickening "cam shows" of young girls.
When police raided his house, they found he also had indecent images of children, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
Sentencing the 28-year-old, of Neville Court, Sulgrave, Washington, Judge Gavin Doig told Gibson: "You made contact with that profile and the messages show you had a perverted sexual interest in viewing sexual activity being committed upon young girls and you made it clear you were interested in young children.
"You said you would be interested in seeing more than one child being abused and made comments about the kind of activity you would like to view." "You paid money to an account which you believed would ensure you could see that sort of abuse being carried out.
Fortunately for everyone involved and particularly for you, there was no real child." "The pre-sentence report says you currently pose a high risk of harm to children.
The sentence I impose is not imposed out of any sympathy for you because I have none.
It's imposed to protect children from you." "You are a hard-working man, you are somewhat isolated.
You are motivated to change and you are clearly at something of a crossroads.
I'm going to give you an opportunity to prove yourself by giving you a suspended sentence." Gibson, who has no previous convictions, admitted arranging or facilitating an act intending that another person would be involved in the commission of an offence of sexual assault of a child aged under 13.
He also admitted three offences of possessing 13 indecent images of children aged between 5 and 15.
He was sentenced to two years suspended for two years with 150 hours unpaid work and programme requirements.
He will also be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for ten years.
When interviewed by police, he said he had been looking at legal pornography and links took him elsewhere.
He said he followed them out of curiosity and said he said yes to the offer of the "cam shows" because he was tired as he had been working nights.
Jason Smith, defending, said: "He is a hard-working man with two jobs.
With mature reflection, he deeply regrets his actions." "He says he didn't believe it was real but accepts the payments he made suggests he was more than involved in considering the possibility it was real." "The stigma of this offence will result in likely difficulty in getting any kind of employment in future."
