SEAHAM PERVERT PESTERED ‘12-YEAR-OLD GIRL' FOR SEX
A pervert who persistently pestered a 12-year-old girl' to send him naked pictures while bombarding her with X-rated messages has walked free from court.Shane Whales, aged 28, continued sending sexually charged messages over Snapchat to 'Amelia' — an undercover police officer posing as an underage girl.
The court heard that Whales kept sending messages for over three months, seeking to persuade her to send nude images and join a video chat.
Prosecutor Stuart Graham revealed that during this time, Whales contacted the decoy on 25 days, and when she mentioned her age, he reportedly said, "I love young girls." The conversations became increasingly sexual, with Whales asking her to take off more clothes and expressing desires for her in his messages.
Whales told her not to tell anyone and called it their "little secret," attempting to engage her in sexual activity.
He even sent some images supposedly of 'Amelia' in her underwear and encouraged her to remove more clothing.
Whales, of Portland Avenue, Seaham, pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child between December 2022 and February 2023, and to possessing indecent images of children—four in Category A, three in Category B, and 13 in Category C.
His lawyer, John Crawford, highlighted his client's learning difficulties and asked for a suspended sentence, mentioning that he no longer uses a phone or the internet and was anxious to destroy the seized device.
Judge Jo Kidd sentenced Whales to 14 months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered him to attend 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days, sign the sex offenders register for ten years, and adhere to a sexual harm prevention order.
