ONLINE PREDATOR FALCONER RECEIVES SUSPENDED SENTENCE AFTER GROOMING ATTEMPT
A 57-year-old man named Jonathan Falconer, who has three children and no previous criminal record, participated in online sexual exchanges with an undercover police officer pretending to be a 13-year-old girl called Leah.Despite Leah clearly stating her age from the beginning, Falconer asked if she had performed a sexual act on herself, encouraged her to do so, and proposed meeting up.
He voiced interest in seeing her in her underwear and on camera.
He suggested different meeting options, such as going for a walk or meeting at a hotel, and made remarks about being naughty both on camera and in person, including asking to see her in her knickers and vest.
Falconer declared he was looking for 'very naughty fun' and reassured Leah she wouldn’t become pregnant, stating he would not wear a condom because he disliked them.
The police investigation involved an alias, and Falconer believed he was communicating with a real 13-year-old girl.
His conduct was brought before Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, where he admitted to attempting to communicate sexually with a child and attempting to incite a minor to engage in sexual activity.
The court handed him a prison sentence of two years, suspended for two years, along with conditions such as a 20-day accredited rehabilitation course, 240 hours of unpaid community service, and six months of alcohol abstinence monitoring.
The judge noted Falconer’s previously good character but highlighted the seriousness of his willingness to discuss sexual activities with a minor online, even if the dialogue involved an undercover officer.
Additionally, he was placed on the sex offenders' register for ten years and served a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same duration.
