BENJAMIN MERRIFIELD SENTENCED IN NORWICH FOR ONLINE SEXUAL COMMUNICATIONS
A man from Norwich, Benjamin Merrifield, aged 36, who was shot in the head by a friend five years ago, became involved in inappropriate sexual conversations with an individual he believed was a 12-year-old girl.Merrifield was reported to police after he logged into an internet site and started chatting online with someone he thought was a young girl.
Norwich Crown Court heard that the person Merrifield was communicating with was actually an undercover police officer.
Lori Tucker, prosecuting, stated that Merrifield was clearly made aware that his conversation partner was a 12-year-old girl.
However, she added that the chats, which began in March this year, quickly became sexualized.
Merrifield asked the officer for images of herself and inquired about her underwear.
Merrifield appeared at court on Monday, September 20, and admitted to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child under 16.
He has a criminal record with eight convictions covering 12 offences, none of which are of a sexual nature.
He also pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to incite a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity.
He was sentenced to a total of three years and four months in prison.
Judge Katharine Moore remarked that it was “sheer good fortune” that the victim turned out to be an undercover officer and emphasized that “no harm was caused to a child.” Andrew Oliver, defending Merrifield, argued that his client had no previous convictions of this kind and should be credited for his guilty pleas.
He explained that Merrifield struggles with various issues, some stemming from his childhood, including being “accidentally shot by a friend in the side of his head about five years ago,” which has caused difficulties such as memory problems.
Oliver added that Merrifield has used illicit substances like cannabis to cope with his problems.
He urged the court to consider the fact that there was no actual victim involved.
As part of his sentence, Merrifield was made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) to protect children from potential harm and is required to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely.
