NIGHT PORTER JAILED FOR CHILD SEX COMMUNICATIONS AND ONLINE GROOMING
A night porter who felt lonely and didn't have anyone to speak to about his mental health struggles encouraged a 12-year old-girl to use a sex toy on herself and even asked her to come and stay in a hotel room with him while on holiday in Cornwall so they could have sex.Jonathan Pound started engaging in communication with a child when he joined the Kik messaging app which is known to be targeted at and used by children and teenagers.
He contacted a girl aged 12 and soon the conversation took a sexualised turn in nature.
He asked the girl if she was into older men, if she had a nice body and even asked her to send him pictures of her breasts and genitals.
The court heard that on one occasion he asked her to go in the house, locate a sex toy and insert it into her vagina and then he sent her a picture of his penis.
It was when he tried to encourage the girl to meet up at a hotel room he would book and asked her to come alone so staff would not bat an eye but would think she was his own daughter, that Devon and Cornwall Police, who had run the fake-girl account as a paedo-hunting decoy, pounced.
Pound was arrested and charged with one count of inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and another of engaging in sexual communication with a child in connection with the incident in February/March 2024.
The 44-year-old dad of two young children later pleaded guilty to these charges.
His barrister stated the incident happened two years ago and was a one-off, with Pound not offending before or since.
She said Pound denied sexual interest in children but admitted his wrongdoing and attributed his actions to loneliness and mental health issues, including brain surgery in 2023.
The barrister added he would never have intended to meet a child in a hotel.
The judge described Pound's conversations as entirely sexualised and abhorrent but took into account his previous good character, mental health difficulties, and his family situation.
Despite this, he sentenced Pound to three years in prison, with the requirement to serve half before being eligible for release on licence.
He was also sentenced to be on the sex offenders' register for life and given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.
He has been working with probation services, has shown no breach of bail, and has the potential to change, according to the court.
The judge emphasized the severity of the offences given he used Kik, a platform targeted at children, and described the conversation as thoroughly unacceptable.
