LEEDS HOMELESS CHARITY VOLUNTEER SENT TO SUSPENDED PRISON FOR SEXUAL COMMUNICATION WITH MINOR
Steven Hall, aged 43, who is a volunteer at a Leeds charity supporting the homeless, contacted a teenage boy he believed to be 14 years old named Josh via Facebook in April.Their conversation initially appeared normal but turned sexual, with Hall indicating he could teach the boy about sex and asking him to be his boyfriend.
Hall also sent images of his bare chest to what was actually a decoy profile operated by volunteers for Stop UK, an organization that catches internet sex offenders targeting children.
The court heard that Hall expressed a desire to be friends, claiming the boy was 14, and engaged in discussions about meeting discreetly in Leeds.
The conversation included explicit suggestions about sex and intimacy, with Hall saying he wanted the boy to feel safe and offering to teach him about sex.
The group that caught Hall at his home confronted him before police were called, leading to his arrest.
Hall, who has no fixed address, pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child for incidents from April 13 to April 30 this year.
During sentencing, his advocate stated that Hall is a very isolated person with no relationships, living alone with limited contact with family, and expressed that his arrest was highly public and that he no longer resides at his previous home.
The court was informed that Hall denies having a sexual interest in children.
The judge handed him a nine-month sentence suspended for one year, with requirements to complete 43 days of an accredited program and 55 days of rehabilitation activities.
A Sexual Harm Prevention Order was also imposed.
