STEPHEN LEWIS SQUIRE FROM SOUTH BRENT FOUND GUILTY OF ONLINE SEXUAL OFFENCES IN PLYMOUTH
A former teacher from South Brent named Stephen Lewis Squire has been convicted of sending explicit videos and messages to a girl he believed was 12 years old, but who was in fact an undercover police officer.The trial took place at Plymouth Crown Court, where it was disclosed that Squire communicated with the officer through social media platforms including Snapchat, KIK, and Chat Avenue from June 3 to June 29, 2020.
During the proceedings, it was stated that Squire claimed to be 34 years old, living in Devon, and working as a teacher.
He sent images of his face and engaged in sexual conversations, which involved sending explicit images of himself and requesting the same from his supposed young victim.
The court heard that he had been told the girl was only 12 and demonstrated behavior typical of a child, such as attending school.
Judge Matthew Turner detailed the nature of the exchanged messages, which included encouraging the girl to insert her fingers into her vagina, asking her to repeat the act, and sending videos of himself masturbating.
The court also revealed that Squire discussed her touching his penis and expressed a desire for her to lick it and put it in her mouth.
In mitigation, Squire’s solicitor argued that he continued to deny the charges and had no prior convictions.
It was also highlighted that the offences took place over less than a month and that Squire had not engaged in any similar crimes since 2020.
The court was told that Squire lost his teaching position as a consequence of his actions, but the judge acknowledged his understanding of the potential harm caused by online sexual exploitation of children.
Squire was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.
The judge ordered that he serve half of this sentence before being released, with the remaining half to be served on license.
Furthermore, he was placed on the sex offender register indefinitely, subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years, and bans or disqualifications were also imposed.
