EMILY TIMMS FROM CRAWLEY INVOLVED IN DISTURBING ONLINE SEXUAL DECEPTION IN KENT AND WEST SUSSEX
In October 2017, a woman named Emily Timms from Crawley found herself at the center of a disturbing case involving online deception and sexual exploitation of teenage girls.The case revealed a pattern of manipulative behavior where Timms used social media platforms to lure vulnerable young females into performing sexual acts via webcam, under false pretenses.
Timms, aged 23 at the time, devised a scheme inspired by the popular MTV documentary series 'Catfish,' which explores online deception.
She created a fake profile on Instagram under the alias 'Joey Knight,' aiming to attract teenage girls and manipulate them into sending intimate images.
Her tactics involved establishing a false identity, which she maintained by sitting in a darkened room during FaceTime calls, concealing her true gender from her victims.
During these video calls, she would request the girls to perform sexual acts on themselves, often while she watched in the dark, further obscuring her identity.
The deception unraveled when one of her victims, a girl from the Tonbridge area of Kent aged 16, realized that the profile was fake.
She reported her suspicions to the police, who subsequently uncovered that Timms had engaged in similar manipulative behavior with another girl.
The first victim only became aware of the deception after police intervened and disclosed the truth to her.
Emily Timms was subsequently charged and brought before the court.
She admitted to charges including causing a person to engage in sexual activity, creating child sexual abuse images, and inciting child prostitution or pornography.
She, however, denied allegations of blackmail and causing or inciting child prostitution, with the prosecution accepting her pleas on those counts.
Judge Charles Macdonald QC addressed the court, noting that Timms claimed her actions were driven by confusion regarding her sexuality and was inspired by the 'Catfish' program to adopt a false identity in search of a romantic connection with a female partner.
The judge acknowledged her explanation but emphasized that her actions at the time were not driven by genuine confusion.
Instead, he characterized her conduct as obtaining sexual gratification through deception, which is a serious criminal offense.
Prosecutor Claire Huntley detailed the extent of Timms' manipulations.
She explained that the initial victim, a 16-year-old girl from Kent, had been in contact with Timms since September 2015, when she was 20.
The two exchanged phone numbers, texted, and made plans to meet, but Timms repeatedly canceled or failed to appear.
Despite these cancellations, Timms continued to send the girl gifts, including 50 red roses worth £160, a Marc Jacobs watch, and heartfelt messages expressing her affection, such as, 'I really like you.
I don’t want to lose you.
I will make it up to you.' Timms even contacted the girl while she was on holiday in New York, sending provocative messages like, 'Show me your tits,' prompting the girl to send explicit photos and agree to touch herself.
She also persuaded the girl to perform a sex act using a deodorant can.
When Timms failed to meet her again, she falsely claimed to be Joey’s sister, Daisy, to reassure the girl, saying, 'He really likes you.' She further sent the girl a pink vibrator and instructed her to use it during their conversations.
The sexual nature of their interactions escalated over time, with Timms sending more explicit photographs and videos, and even birthday and Valentine’s Day gifts, including flowers, champagne, and balloons with messages like 'Happy birthday, gorgeous, love Joey.' During FaceTime calls, the girl could only see a dark room and a television screen, as Timms explained her absence by claiming 'he' did not look very good.
The deception was ultimately exposed when police checked the profile of Joey Knight and discovered it belonged to one of Timms’ Facebook friends.
Further investigations revealed that Timms had engaged in similar behavior with another teenage girl over a period of 14 months when she was 16 and 17 years old.
During that time, she persuaded her to send indecent images and perform sexual acts, continuing her manipulative tactics.
The victim only learned the truth when a police officer took her statement, noting that she had never seen Timms’s face on FaceTime because the screen was always dark, and her voice sounded male.
Judge Macdonald highlighted that Timms had also threatened to publish the indecent images of her first victim unless she returned a watch that Timms had sent as a gift.
The judge emphasized the profound impact of her actions, including the loss of trust and the difficulty victims faced in forming new relationships.
He acknowledged her genuine remorse and good character but stressed that punishment and deterrence were necessary.
As a result, Emily Timms was sentenced to three years in prison.
She was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for ten years, given a sexual harm prevention order for the same duration, and barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.
The court’s decision reflected the seriousness of her offenses and the need to protect others from similar harm.
