BRIAN JACKSON LOSES FREEDOM AGAIN IN MIDDLESBROUGH AFTER ONLINE SEX OFFENDING
In December 2019, Brian Jackson, 51, faced serious consequences after recent online conduct despite being previously convicted.He was jailed in January for engaging in sexual conversations with an undercover police officer posing as a 14-year-old girl.
During that investigation, Jackson suggested touching the decoy and filmed himself on Skype performing a sexual act.
He also possessed 174 child abuse images and distributed 27 indecent pictures of children, resulting in a 16-month prison term.
Despite his release in October, Jackson returned to online activity merely four days later, prompting authorities to take immediate action.
During a safeguarding visit, Jackson produced a phone and two tablets.
He showed the officer a Facebook account under the alias Mark Johnson, claiming he created it after his conviction but had forgotten to register it as required by law.
On his laptop, Jackson had been active on a 'just sex' forum under an anonymous pseudonym, engaging in exchanges with a young mother, sharing sexualized messages and receiving pictures from her.
He also contacted a user identifying herself as a mum, asking only, 'How old are your kids?' and communicated with another user named 'nakeddad,' inquiring, 'Kids with you?' When questioned about these questions, Jackson admitted he had no explanation but needed to 'work things out.' When asked if he had a sexual interest in children, he responded, 'I don't know why I asked those questions.
I know it looks bad.
I know it looks wrong.' He also claimed that an iPhone found in his flat, which was no longer operational, was bought before his previous conviction, and he had simply forgotten about it.
Jackson, from Laurel Street, Middlesbrough, previously resided in Redcar, pleaded guilty to breaching a sexual harm prevention order and failing to comply with notification requirements.
His January conviction included charges of making and distributing indecent photographs of children, attempting to involve an underage girl in sexual activity, and encouraging her to watch a sexual act.
At that time, he was described as a reclusive individual suffering from long-term depression, who was not expected to act on his suggestions.
He had also undergone vetting by social services in the past with the intent to become a foster parent.
Defending Jackson, Nigel Soppitt noted that Jackson had been stressed and disoriented upon release, which contributed to his apparent regression.
He described Jackson's lifestyle at that period as chaotic, with numerous urgent matters to address.
Regarding his online pseudonym, the lawyer stated, 'It’s a clumsy alias.
It’s not the sort of alias that would deceive anybody.' Since his October arrest, Jackson had complied positively with his supervision order, earning praise from his officer, and was undergoing medication for anxiety and depression, therapy, and courses aimed at rehabilitation.
The Probation Service assessed his risk level down from high to medium, believing it could be managed within the community and emphasizing that he was on the right path.
However, Judge Stephen Ashurst expressed skepticism, remarking, 'I am, I’m afraid, sceptical.
Because of the speed at which upon your release you resorted to trying to make contact of a sexual nature in relation to your sexual interest in children.
You said in something of an understatement, “I know it looks bad, it looks wrong”.
It was bad and it was wrong.' The judge highlighted that Jackson used forums under false pretenses because of an apparent sexual attraction to very young children and used other adults online to further his interests.
He warned about the potential risk of serious harm, especially if Jackson interacted with like-minded individuals.
Consequently, Jackson was sentenced to a year in prison, with the court emphasizing the importance of enforcing such orders.
Earlier, in February 2019, Jackson, then 50, was caught communicating sexually with an undercover officer posing as a 14-year-old girl and possessing extensive child abuse images.
Judge Peter Armstrong noted that Jackson had previously undergone vetting for fostering, which starkly contrasted his activities.
In 2018, Jackson sought sexual satisfaction through online conversations with what he believed was a young girl.
He suggested physical contact, filmed himself performing sexual acts on Skype, and was found with devices containing 174 child abuse images—47 of which were in the most serious category.
He also distributed 27 images, including three in the severe classification.
Jackson, formerly of Ennis Square, Dormanstown, Redcar, and later living in Wiltshire, pleaded guilty to eight charges.
These included making and distributing indecent photographs, attempting to cause a minor to engage in sexual activity, and encouraging her to watch sexual acts.
Judge Armstrong sentenced him to 16 months in prison, imposing a sexual harm prevention order banning unsupervised contact with under-18s, restricting his internet and device usage, and requiring him to register as a sex offender for ten years.
He was also barred from working with children.
