BRETT HEALEY SENTENCED IN ROSSENDALE FOR ONLINE GROOMING OF 13-YEAR-OLD GIRL

In March 2019, a 26-year-old man named Brett Healey was convicted for grooming a 13-year-old girl from Kentucky online. Healey, formerly of Buxton, Derbyshire, and now residing in Rossendale, was involved in a disturbing 'sexual fantasy relationship' with the young girl. He believed she was 16 years old at the time. Police found an inappropriate image of her on his phone and recovered chat logs that revealed explicit exchanges.

During the court hearing, it was revealed that Healey had sent messages such as 'Send me a pic of you, baby,' to the girl, who was only 13 but had claimed to be older. The prosecution, led by Esther Harrison, stated that police seized two iPhones from Healey’s address in Buxton during a search warrant executed on November 5, 2016. An image of the girl was discovered, along with chat logs showing sexually explicit conversations.

Harrison noted, "There was evidence of chat logs between the defendant and the victim in which various sexually explicit messages had been exchanged. They included one in which he said, 'Send me a pic of you, baby.'" She added that Healey and the girl were engaging in a sexual fantasy relationship, with the girl claiming to be 16 or 17, though her sister had sent a screenshot confirming she was 13.

Healey pleaded guilty to possession of an indecent image of the girl. As a result, he was given a 12-month community order and will be on the sex offender register for five years. Judge John Burgess told the defendant, "You pleaded guilty to one offence of possession of an indecent image of a girl who you thought was 16 but who turned out to be 13. From now on, you should be very careful who you contact and communicate with over the internet."

As Healey left court, he was seen hiding from reporters, highlighting the seriousness of his conviction.