COUNTY TYRONE PAEDOPHILE STEPHEN CLEMENTS SENTENCED IN TRILLICK AND OMAGH COURTS

In July 2022, Stephen Robert Clements, a 26-year-old man from Keenogue Road, Trillick, County Tyrone, faced serious criminal charges related to online sexual communication with a minor. The case stemmed from an undercover police operation conducted between October 6 and November 1, 2021, during which Clements believed he was engaging with a 13-year-old girl. Instead, he was communicating with a police decoy, which ultimately led to his arrest and prosecution.

During the course of the investigation, Clements initiated contact through a social media profile, expressing admiration for the decoy's profile image, describing it as “cute and pretty.” He then sent a facial photograph of himself and, in a bid to be playful, asked her to share a picture of herself in her school uniform. When she complied, Clements made inappropriate comments about her skirt being too long and suggested she should undo some of her shirt buttons. The conversation escalated as he requested more images, including photos of her in her PE kit, stating that “wearing less clothes would be better.”

Further disturbing exchanges ensued when Clements sent an explicit image of himself in underwear and asked for a photograph of her breasts, describing her as “hot, with an amazing body.” He continued to request more images, eventually sending pictures of his genitals and asking if he could masturbate over her picture during the upcoming weekend, inquiring whether she had ever played with herself. When the decoy asked what he was doing, he responded that he was “having a w***,” and asked her to “go to the bathroom and pull down her tights.”

As the conversation progressed, Clements asked if she would perform oral sex and whether she would “spit or swallow,” prompting the decoy to block him when he inquired if she performed oral sex. Clements was arrested shortly thereafter and admitted to engaging in sexual communication with what he believed was a child.

At the sentencing hearing, District Judge Bernie Kelly criticized the decision not to send the case to the Crown Court, noting that the maximum penalty for such an offence is six months’ imprisonment. She emphasized that cases of this nature are often not suitable for the lower court due to their severity. Judge Kelly remarked, “He believed he was communicating with a child. His entire communication was beyond appropriate, yet he carried on. By law, he must receive a reduction for his guilty plea.”

As a result, Clements was sentenced to four months in prison. Additionally, he was placed on the Sex Offender Register and subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) for seven years. Clements appealed this sentence at Omagh County Court, where his defense argued that his culpability was somewhat mitigated by the fact that he was taking medication, which may have increased his inhibitions during the pandemic. The defense described him as a “very lonely man who did something extraordinarily stupid and ill-judged.”

Deputy County Court Judge Duncan acknowledged the seriousness of the offences, stating, “These are serious offences for which the custody threshold is certainly passed. The prison sentence is entirely justified, however I consider it appropriate to suspend it for three years.” The judge also rejected an application for Legal Aid after reviewing Clements’ income from his agricultural business, where he is the majority partner.

Earlier in the year, in May 2022, Clements faced similar allegations and was jailed for four months after admitting to attempting to groom a girl he believed to be 13. During that case, it was revealed that the ‘teenager’ he thought he was communicating with was actually a police decoy based in England. Clements had sent explicit images of himself and asked for naked photos in return, engaging in grooming language and explicit sexual discussions. He claimed that his depression medication might have influenced his conduct, but this was not accepted as a full explanation.

Throughout the investigation, Clements maintained that he believed he was speaking to a minor. His actions, including sending graphic images and asking inappropriate questions, were deemed highly serious by the courts. Judge Kelly highlighted that Clements did not understand the difference between an adult and a child, which contributed to her criticism of the prosecution’s decision not to escalate the case to the Crown Court. She reiterated that the maximum sentence available was six months and that, by law, he was entitled to a reduction for his guilty plea. Clements remains on the Sex Offender Register for seven years and is subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order for the same period, reflecting the gravity of his offences committed in County Tyrone.