MARTIN RHODES SENTENCED IN STOKE-ON-TRENT FOR ONLINE SEXUAL OFFENCES

Martin Rhodes, 52, from Knights Croft, Keele, has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court after attempting to engage in sexual activity with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl. Rhodes, who previously served a four-year sentence in 2017 for similar offences, was communicating with a paedophile hunter during the recent incident.

Prosecutor Jonathan Dickinson explained that in February, police were alerted by a member of a paedophile hunter group who reported speaking to Rhodes online. The decoy, crafted to appear as a 14-year-old girl using an app that mimicked the appearance of a young teen, was approached by Rhodes after he sent a Facebook friend request.

The conversation quickly turned sexual, with Rhodes asking the decoy for pictures of herself and instructing her on how to perform a sex act. He sent her videos of pornography, images of his private area, and photographs of an adult woman's private parts. Rhodes also encouraged her to buy a sex toy and shared his phone number, along with pictures of his car and himself. He discussed the possibility of meeting up, but no meeting occurred.

Police officers located Rhodes at his home three days after the conversation ended on February 18. Although they seized several devices for examination, Rhodes's phone did not contain the conversation—it appears he had deleted it, which was a violation of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) imposed in July 2017 following his previous conviction for attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

At his sentencing, Rhodes pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including attempted sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act, and breaching his SHPO.

Defence solicitor Martin Bloor noted that Rhodes, a father of four, was aware an extended sentence was likely. He also mentioned that Rhodes has several health issues.

Judge Graeme Smith remarked on Rhodes's criminal history, highlighting that his previous offences in 2017 followed a similar pattern of online contacts with individuals he believed to be minors—this time with a decoy claiming to be 14 years old, whereas in the past, an 11-year-old was targeted. The judge emphasized that Rhodes had sent sexual images and videos, asked for similar content in return, and discussed sexual acts. He pointed out that the accounts Rhodes communicated with were set up deliberately to trap predators like him, who seek young girls online.

Rhodes remains subject to the existing SHPO and is on the sex offenders' register for an indefinite period.