TOM SPEARS

NORTHUMBERLAND MAN JAILED FOR GROOMING YOUNG GIRL ONLINE AND SENDING EXPLICIT IMAGES

A Northumberland man named Tom Spears has been sentenced to three years in prison after engaging in illegal online behaviors involving a young girl.

He exchanged explicit messages with the victim, then 11 years old, over a four-month period on Snapchat.

During these conversations, Spears persuaded the girl to perform a sex act and sent her a photo of his genitals.

He also obtained naked images of her and arranged for her to send such images.

The abuse only surfaced when her mother noticed behavioral changes in her daughter and found the messages on her phone.

The police were alerted, and Spears, aged 24, was arrested.

He admitted to inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and sexual communication with a minor, leading to his guilty plea.

The court heard he initially lied about his age and claimed to be overseas in America during their contact.

Spears was convicted at Newcastle Crown Court and received a custodial sentence of three years.

Additionally, he was placed on an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to register as a sex offender for the same period.

The judge highlighted that Spears's actions had severely impacted the victim, who now suffers from anxiety, depression, and self-harms, with her mother describing her decline since the incident.

The court also noted Spears was young at the time, without previous convictions, and expressed shame for his behavior.