Locations
Victoria Chase, Colchester, Essex, CO1
Description
A PAEDOPHILE who sent explicit images of himself to what he thought was a 14-year-old girl has said he committed the offence because he was lonely.
Jack Goodacre, 28, had admitted possessing indecent images of children in March but proceeded to send sexual messages to an account only months later while he was on bail.
Goodacre had contacted a decoy account in July when he asked if he could chat to the young girl called Melissa, Ipswich Crown Court heard on Friday.
A WhatsApp conversation followed which involved Goodacre sending messages calling her “pretty” and “cute”, before asking her if he would be her first boyfriend.
Abby Robinson, prosecuting, said: “He requested a photo of the decoy’s legs and sent two images of himself.”
One image was of Goodacre naked.
The conversation continued and the defendant told the decoy he would book a hotel room for the two of them.
He then sent her a video of him performing a sex act and an image of a sex toy.
A record of the conversation was kept by a vigilante group which was behind the decoy account, and Goodacre was reported to police who arrested him.
The court heard Goodacre, of Victoria Chase, Colchester, was already on bail when he was messaging the decoy account after admitting three charges of possessing indecent images of children – some of whom were as young as six – in March.
In July he then admitted one charge each of attempting to engage a child in sexual activity, attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity, and possession of category B images before being remanded in custody.
Mark Brown, mitigating, said: “He’s never been in any substantial trouble before. He was working in a full-time job and had his own flat.
“He puts his offending down to loneliness.
“He didn’t deal with going to custody very well and he broke down in the magistrates’ court.
“He has had the shock of his life going into custody.”
Sentencing Goodacre, Judge David Pugh said: “I don’t consider it appropriate to suspend this sentence, so the sentence is 16 months of immediate imprisonment.”
Goodacre was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register and will be subject to notification requirements for ten years.