ANDREW JACKSON OF STOURPORT UPON SEVERN SENTENCED AT WORCESTER CROWN COURT FOR ONLINE SEX OFFENCES

In August 2017, Andrew Jackson, a 23-year-old resident of Barnfield Road, Stourport upon Severn, was sentenced at Worcester Crown Court after pleading guilty to attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child. The case emerged after an online child protection team, acting as a teenage girl, successfully lured Jackson into a trap by creating a fake Facebook profile for a 13-year-old girl named Ellie.

Prosecutor Giles Nelson explained that Jackson initiated contact by sending a message saying, "hello, you're beautiful," then inquired about her age. Despite her revealing her age, Jackson's messages quickly turned sexualized; he went further by providing his address for her to send underwear and even sent a photo of male genitalia, suggesting a sex act, the court was told.

Jackson's previous record included a caution in 2014 for a similar offence, where he contacted a girl on social media and made inappropriate suggestions until she told him to stop.

Judge Daniel Pearce-Higgins, QC, remarked, "He didn't take the hint" when referring to Jackson's prior caution, emphasizing that Jackson was lured by a fake Facebook profile created by vigilantes as a lawful form of entrapment.

As part of his sentencing, Jackson was ordered to participate in a three-year sex offenders group work programme, including 15 days of rehabilitation activities. Additionally, he received a sexual harm prevention order that restricts his contact with children under 16 and is required to register as a sex offender. Both orders are set to last for five years.