BENWELL MAN AVOIDS JAIL AFTER SENDING EXPLICIT IMAGES TO POLICE DECOY
A married man named Norman Little avoided imprisonment after sending explicit images of his genitals to what he believed was a 13-year-old girl.Little, aged 58, of Weidner Road in Benwell, claimed he was lonely because he and his wife were sleeping in separate bedrooms when he started messaging a girl on Snapchat under the username "Norm." Unbeknownst to him, the girl was an undercover police officer.
The court heard that during their conversations, Little was told of the girl’s age but continued to ask for images of her in her underwear and swimwear, and later sent images of his genitals.
Little later pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and was given a 10-month suspended prison sentence.
District Judge Kate Meek stated she believed Little asked the girl for images for his sexual gratification.
The judge emphasized that his reasons related to his loneliness did not justify his actions, noting that there was no real girl involved—only a police officer.
In addition to the suspended sentence, Little was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work, register as a sex offender for 10 years, and was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years.
