SEBASTIAN BICKERTON FROM KING-WILLINGTON PERPETRATES ONLINE SEXUAL CRIME AGAINST UNDERAGE GIRL

In July 2016, a disturbing case emerged involving Sebastian Bickerton, a resident of King in Willington, who committed a serious online sexual offense against a teenage girl. The incident unfolded after the girl, who was only 15 years old at the time, attempted to end her virtual relationship with Bickerton. In retaliation, he took malicious steps to humiliate and exploit her, revealing a troubling pattern of predatory behavior.

According to court proceedings at Derby Crown Court, Bickerton, aged 23, created a fake Facebook account to carry out his malicious plans. He shared explicit photographs of his underage girlfriend with her entire contact list, which included her mother and brother, amounting to approximately 500 recipients. The court was told that Bickerton kept the indecent images she had sent him in a folder on his computer, ominously titled “my slut,” indicating a disturbing level of possession and objectification.

The victim, who resides in Wales, provided a victim impact statement that was read aloud in court. She described feeling deeply depressed and victimized since the incident. She explained that she often cries when discussing what happened, and her confidence has been severely affected. The teenage girl also reported that she has been subjected to hurtful comments from peers at school, which has negatively impacted her academic performance. As a result of the trauma, she sought counseling to cope with the emotional distress.

Prosecutor Sarah Allen outlined the timeline of events, revealing that Bickerton-King initiated the online relationship in early 2015 by sending a friend request. The girl disclosed her age as 16, and shortly thereafter, they began exchanging explicit images of a serious nature. However, by February 21, 2015, the girl started to feel uncomfortable and reluctant to continue sharing images. She confided in Bickerton, expressing her fears that he was blackmailing her, even threatening to take her own life if he shared the images with her friends.

Despite her pleas, Bickerton-King continued his manipulative behavior. In the early hours of the following morning, he sent her a message suggesting she unblock him on Facebook, warning that if she did not, he would send the explicit images to her contacts. When she unblocked him, he further threatened to distribute the images if she tried to block him again.

On February 23, 2015, Bickerton-King took his malicious actions further by creating a fake Facebook account under the alias “Randy Marsh.” Using this account, he sent the explicit photographs of the girl to her entire Facebook contacts list, which numbered around 500 people. This act of distribution caused significant distress and embarrassment for the victim.

Following his arrest, authorities seized Bickerton-King’s mobile phones, computer, and tablet. Investigators discovered a disturbing collection of indecent images on his devices, including 29 movies classified as Category A (the most serious), 11 movies in Category B, and five in Category C. Additional indecent images of the girl were also recovered during the investigation.

He pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including inciting a child to engage in pornography, making indecent images (three counts), possessing indecent images, and distributing indecent images of a child (three counts). Despite the severity of his actions, Bickerton-King avoided immediate imprisonment after a judge considered his psychological profile and his belief that the girl was 16 years old.

Judge Jonathan Bennett sentenced him to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years. The court also mandated that Bickerton-King participate in a three-year sex offenders’ treatment program and imposed a five-year sexual harm prevention order. The judge emphasized the disturbing nature of the case, highlighting the dangers of the internet and the exploitation of young people through online platforms.

Judge Bennett remarked, “Getting young people involved in pornography is a disturbing image and this case is another example of the dark side of the internet. The victim was 15 but I accept you believed she was 16 and when she wanted to halt your relationship you tried to blackmail her saying ‘if you don’t carry this on I will distribute the photographs’. I have read a psychological report on you and without going into the details it shows me that for many years you had difficulty socially and in many ways you live in isolation and spend most of your time on the internet.”