MAN JAILED FOR ONLINE CHAT WITH GIRL
A man has been sentenced to prison after engaging in a three-day online conversation with a 13-year-old girl, during which he offered her a financial incentive of “a grand” to send photographs of herself in her underwear.This exchange took place in September and resulted in Luke Ovington, aged 28, violating both a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and a suspended prison term imposed in July of the previous year for similar conduct.
Ovington had previously appeared in court in November of the preceding year for minor breaches of the same order, for which he received community sentences.
However, his repeated offending led to his latest arrest.
At Durham Crown Court, it was revealed that in July last year, Ovington received a ten-month prison term suspended for two years due to online sexual communications with a 12-year-old girl.
He was also subject to a ten-year SHPO, which restricted his internet use and contact with minors, and required him to register as a sex offender.
Prosecutor Philip Morley stated that despite these restrictions and the suspended sentence, Ovington engaged a girl via Snapchat for three days in September, continuing communications with her.
Unlike sting operations, this involved genuine contact with a real child who, despite stating her age as 13, received persistent sexualised messages.
Under the alias ‘Ryan’, Ovington violated the SHPO by encouraging the girl to keep their conversations secret from her parents.
He requested photos, expressed sexual interest, and offered “a grand” in exchange for a picture of her in her underwear, claiming he loved her.
The police were alerted, and Ovington was arrested when found in possession of his phone, which was examined.
He had deleted many incriminating messages but made no comment during police interviews.
Ovington admitted to charges of sexual communication with a minor, breaking the SHPO, and possessing a small amount of cannabis found at the time of arrest.
Judge Adams sentenced him to a total of 28 months in prison, including six months activated from last year’s suspended sentence.
His new ten-year SHPO and registration obligations will commence from December 13.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of the seized cannabis and his mobile phone.
