NEW MILTON SEX OFFENDER JAILED FOR SHARING PORNOGRAPHIC VIDEOS WITH TEEN GIRLS
A man identified as sex offender Lee-Roy John, aged 37, has been sentenced following his involvement in sharing pornographic videos with teenagers on Snapchat.The court heard that in July, John added teenage girls to his private story, which was only viewable by those he included, and proceeded to share indecent photographs and explicit videos.
One girl, after viewing the content, called him a ‘weirdo’ and blocked him, subsequently informing her parents.
Prosecutor Keely Harvey noted that the victim has become withdrawn and very angry about what happened, emphasizing the ongoing emotional impact.
John was arrested after the online paedophile hunter group Child Online Safety Team (Cost) caught him after pretending to be a 13-year-old girl online.
The group reported that John initiated contact by asking the girl about her day, then sent sexually explicit messages and a video of himself performing a sexual act.
John admitted to the police that he was unable to produce his phone because he had sold it to someone in a park.
It later emerged that he was under investigation for another crime after being caught in a vigilante sting.
During court proceedings in Southampton Crown Court, John pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to cause a child to view a sexual image and another of causing a child to watch a sexual act.
Mitigation by Ellie Fargin claimed that John's actions were driven by a 'pressure cooker of things' in his life and that he was using Snapchat in 2023 to make money by sharing pornography, which he included the two children in.
Judge Brian Forster KC described the offences as 'serious' and noted that John's conduct was driven by his need for sexual gratification, with the victim acting with presence of mind and blocking him.
The judge sentenced John to three years and four months in prison, handed down a 10-year restraining order, and ordered him to register as a sex offender for ten years.
