CHELTENHAM PAEDOPHILE BEN KESTERTON SENTENCED FOR ONLINE SEXUAL OFFENCES
In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Cheltenham, a man named Ben Kesterton has been sentenced to 16 months in prison after engaging in a series of heinous online activities involving a teenage girl.The incident, which unfolded over a period of more than a year, highlights the dangers of online grooming and the severe consequences of such criminal behavior.
According to court records, Kesterton, aged 35 and residing on Granville Street in Cheltenham, used social media platforms, specifically Facebook, to deceive a young girl into believing she was communicating with a 20-year-old woman.
In reality, Kesterton was much older and was exploiting her innocence.
The girl, who was only 15 at the time, was manipulated into sending him indecent photographs of herself.
The court heard that these images were of a highly sexualized nature and that the online interactions between Kesterton and the girl spanned approximately 18 months.
Gloucester Crown Court was informed that the relationship took a dark turn when the girl, suspecting something was amiss, decided to cease communication.
It was at this point that Kesterton's actions became even more troubling.
He allegedly launched a campaign of threats and intimidation, warning her that he would distribute the explicit images to her friends and family if she refused to continue engaging with him.
The court heard that Kesterton explicitly threatened to publish the photographs on Facebook, which would have exposed her to public shame and humiliation.
The prosecutor, Julian Kesner, emphasized the gravity of Kesterton's conduct, stating, “The trauma that such threats would produce would be perfectly obvious to you as they would to any person.
The result, that she would attempt suicide, is all your doing.” During an earlier hearing, Kesterton pleaded guilty to four counts of making indecent photographs of a child and three counts of distributing those images.
The court was told that the victim was only 13 years old when she first made contact with Kesterton in 2010.
At that time, she was questioning her own sexuality and believed she was communicating with a girl named Millie Rose, unaware of Kesterton’s true identity.
By December 2011, the girl had grown suspicious and decided to cut off contact.
However, Kesterton responded with threats, warning her that he would publish the photographs if she refused to continue communication.
The court described the girl as being utterly devastated by the ordeal, pleading with Kesterton not to release the images.
Her distress was palpable, and her actions following the threats underscored the severe impact of Kesterton’s malicious conduct.
In addition to his prison sentence, Kesterton was ordered to register as a sex offender for the next ten years.
He was also issued a sexual offences prevention order, which remains in effect until further notice, to prevent any future offending behavior.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by online predators and the importance of safeguarding vulnerable young people from exploitation and abuse.
