WELSHPOOL PAEDOPHILE SHANE VICKERS ASKED A PRIMARY SCHOOL GIRL TO BE HIS GIRLFRIEND!
AN "EXTREMELY vulnerable" man asked a primary school girl to be his girlfriend in a series of messages on Facebook Messenger, a court has heard.Shane Vickers, 28, admitted that he sent sexual messages and incited sexual activity to a real girl in August 2021 and a decoy in July this year.
His Honour Judge Timothy Petts said that although immediate custody would have ordinarily been the outcome, this was an "exceptional case" due to Vickers' "horrific upbringing".
The judge ordered him to complete a three-year community order which would allow the probation service to help rehabilitate him.
Upsetting details about Vickers' upbringing were heard at Mold Crown Court on Thursday (October 27) including the "traumatic" abuse that he had suffered as a boy which had "distorted sexual norms".
Defence barrister Simon Rogers said: "It is perhaps difficult to imagine an individual that has had a more difficult and troubled upbringing than this defendant." There was a 'Facebook Friend' with a young girl, the conversation turned sexual quickly.
Vickers told the girl she was "cute and pretty," said he loved her, and asked for a kiss and a hug if they met.
The conversations stopped when staff checked Vickers' phone and contacted police.
While on bail, Vickers asked a decoy account, claiming to be a 14-year-old girl from Merthyr Tydfil, for nude pictures.
The online group recognized vulnerabilities in Vickers and reported the concerns to police.
Due to his "very significant" learning difficulties, the judge addressed him in simple terms, emphasizing that asking children for a girlfriend was wrong, and he must not contact the primary school girl again, warning him of prison if rules are broken.
The judge acknowledged Vickers' low functioning and abusive background, stating that he has distorted thinking that needs long-term adjustment, and that probation would be the best means for rehabilitation, given his vulnerability in custody.
The court also recognized the trauma in Vickers' upbringing, including childhood abuse, contributing to his current behavior.
The judge thanked the probation service for their work on this "very difficult case".
