Credit: Pixabay / Ichigo121212
KEY POINTS
- The 44-year-old man connected with the child on Snapchat in 2020
- He told the child he wanted to have sex with her despite knowing she was a minor
- The man was sentenced to three years in jail and ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for life
A 44-year-old man in England has been sentenced to three years in prison for getting a 10-year-old girl to send him indecent videos and pictures of herself and telling her he wanted to have sex with her.
Mark Finnemore, from St. Kew, Cornwall, appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentencing this week after pleading guilty to two charges of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and sexual communication with a child, Cornwall Live reported.
Prosecutor Felicity Payne said that Finnemore connected with the victim on Snapchat in December 2020 and that the child accepted.
Finnemore and the young victim initially discussed their ages. She told him she was 12 when she was actually 10, and he replied that he was too old for her, according to the prosecutor.
But as the conversation between the two went on, it “soon descended into something more,” Payne said in court.
During the chat, Finnemore requested indecent pictures and videos of the child, who sent them to him, according to the prosecutor. He also initiated a “filthy” conversation with the victim.
Finnemore later admitted everything, including sending and receiving images, during a police interview.
“The defendant said that he was somewhat drunk at the time and awoke the next day and tried to delete the images and conversation. He admitted from the outset he knew she was a child and encouraging her to send the images and content she did. He was genuinely ashamed and apologetic,” Payne said.
The victim’s mother said in a victim impact statement that the ordeal continues to affect their family and has altered her 10-year-old girl daughter’s personality, confidence and behavior.
The victim said she was sad and upset as she knew what was happening was wrong, but she felt scared and was afraid of the consequences if she did not follow what she was being told to do.
During the sentencing, Judge Simon Carr pointed out that the girl clearly stated her age at the start of the conversation, but Finnemore still proceeded to turn the chat sexual and request the photos and videos of the child.
“It is clear this has had a significant psychological impact on the victim and may well affect her for the rest of her life,” the judge stated.
The judge sentenced Finnemore to three years in jail.
Finnemore was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for life and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order.
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