HULL MAN GIVEN SUSPENDED SENTENCE AFTER TRYING TO GROOM 12-YEAR-OLD ONLINE
A 27-year-old man from Hull, Adam Gregory, engaged in highly inappropriate online conduct with a decoy 12-year-old girl.He exchanged sexually explicit messages, sent her nude images and videos, and asked invasive questions such as about her underwear and her thoughts on the images he sent.
He also shared explicit videos involving sexual behavior and made suggestive comments like "F*** me.
You're hot!".
Gregory falsely believed he was communicating with a real adolescent but was shocked to discover it was a police trap.
The police identified Gregory after the malicious setup.
Prosecutor Kristina Goodwin stated Gregory started communicating with the decoy on Snapchat, unaware that she was a police decoy.
He asked her questions about her age and sent her images, including one of a man's leg in a bubble bath and another of a man's stomach.
Gregory continued with explicit content, asking her about her underwear and sharing sexual videos and images.
Despite claiming he wouldn't meet her, he was arrested by the regional crime unit.
Gregory admitted to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child under 13 and related offenses, committed between June 13 and 30, 2023.
The court heard he had no prior convictions but showed remorse for his actions.
Oliver Shipley, Gregory’s mitigation, stated he took responsibility and expressed shame and disgust for his conduct and recognized the potential harm if it had involved a real child.
Gregory was sentenced to a two-year suspended prison sentence, 25 days of rehabilitation, and a six-month monitoring order.
Additionally, he received a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and must register as a sex offender for 10 years.
The judge acknowledged that no actual harm was caused to a real child, and Gregory is remorseful.
