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17
Mar
Man who thought he was having online sex chats with 14-year-old spared jail
A Harrogate man who had sex chats with what he thought was an under-age girl has been spared jail.
Sean McVeigh, 52, contacted what he presumed to be a 14-year-old girl on Facebook and the conversations soon turned sexual, York Crown Court heard.
In fact, the ‘girl’ was an adult decoy who had set up an online profile purporting to be a teenager, said prosecutor Jennifer Gatland.
In February this year, McVeigh, of Fewston Crescent, sent a friend request to the ‘girl’, not realising she was a member of an online child-protection group.
Ms Gatland added:
She accepted (the invitation) and told him she was 14.
Initially, he said he couldn’t talk to a 14-year-old because it was wrong, but then he continued the chats periodically.
One day in April, McVeigh asked the ‘girl’ if she was “alone and naked” and encouraged her to perform a sexual act on herself.
The following day, he contacted her on Whatsapp, again urged her to perform a lewd act and "did the same on Facebook, going into explicit detail”.
Ms Gatland said:
He said he loved that she was innocent and offered to buy her whatever she wanted, such as clothes and make-up.
On April 22, he sent her another message saying they “needed to end the conversation because of your age”.
Ms Gatland added:
He said he had received a call from police and asked her if it was because they were messaging.
She said she didn’t know what he was talking about. He told her he was not a pervert.
Despite this, McVeigh asked the ‘girl’ if she wanted to “play naughty again”. The following day, he contacted her again and the conversation was sexual.
On May 2, just under three months after McVeigh made the initial contact, he was arrested at his home.
He told officers his judgement had been impaired by alcohol but that he had just been “playing a game”. He denied having any sexual interest in children.
He was charged with attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity. They were charged as attempts because the fictious child was an adult decoy.
McVeigh ultimately admitted the offences and appeared for sentence on Friday, March 14.
Ms Gatland said McVeigh had four previous convictions for 11 offences including driving over the prescribed limit, but nothing for sexual matters. His most recent conviction was in 2011 for failing to stop after a road accident.
Defence counsel for McVeigh was spared the need for mitigation after judge Simon Hickey said he would not be sending the Harrogate man to jail.
He told McVeigh:
You clearly thought you were communicating with a 14-year-old child and you’re 52.
McVeigh was given a six-month prison sentence, but this was suspended for 18 months. He was placed on the sex-offenders’ register for seven years and made subject to a seven-year sexual-harm prevention order, mainly to curb his online activities.
He was ordered to complete a six-month alcohol-treatment programme and 30 rehabilitation-activity days.
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