COACH AVOIDS JAIL AFTER INDECENT TEXTS
A 29-year-old tennis coach described as a ’predatory paedophile’ avoided imprisonment after being convicted of engaging in sexual chat with a 13-year-old girl.Emyr Pepperell, residing on Two Mile Lane in Highnam, Gloucester, and serving as an assistant coach at Ross-on-Wye Tennis Club at the time of the offences, made inappropriate comments to the girl, including calling her ’hot’.
His illicit online communications ended when her mother discovered the messages, confronted him digitally, and notified authorities.
Following his arrest, Pepperell was dismissed from the tennis club once the allegations surfaced.
A jury found him guilty of sending sexually motivated messages to a minor between November 30 and December 3, 2019.
He received his sentence last Tuesday (November 23) at Taunton Crown Court.
While awaiting sentencing, Pepperell altered his appearance, now sporting long blond hair.
The judge, Recorder Suzanne Chalmers, sentenced him to a three-year community order, requiring 150 hours of unpaid work and attending 10 days of rehabilitation activities.
Additionally, he was prohibited from working with children in the future.
In her remarks, Recorder Chalmers emphasized that Pepperell, then 27, had contacted the girl online over a month, falsely claiming to be much younger.
Although the exact content of these conversations was unavailable, Pepperell admitted they were sexual.
The judge noted that after the girl revealed she had just turned 13, Pepperell continued to ask her about it, and even sent messages expressing a desire to have sex.
The communications ceased only because the girl’s mother intercepted them.
The court dismissed claims that Pepperell's actions might be explained by the girl's engagement in the chats, calling this view ‘absolutely rejected’.
The judge highlighted the victim’s feelings of shame, vulnerability, and loss of confidence caused by Pepperell’s conduct.
The victim stated her disdain for Pepperell, describing feelings of humiliation, her loss of innocence, and ongoing struggles with mental health, including therapy, mood swings, and depression.
Defence lawyer Chloe Griggs argued that Pepperell believed the girl was 16 and not 13, citing character references indicating his generally uncharacteristic behaviour.
She explained his depression diagnosis in December 2019, the month of the offence, and highlighted his efforts with therapy.
She also noted his remorse and disgust at his actions, suggesting that community-based punishment could suffice rather than a prison sentence.
He was subjected to a seven-year sexual harm prevention order, a sex offenders' register for the same duration, and an indefinite restraining order preventing contact with the victim.
The judge also barred Pepperell from future employment involving children.
Prosecutor James Tucker informed the jury that Pepperell initially started communicating with the girl when she was 12, claiming to be 16, and he told her he was 19.
Over time, their messages became more sexually explicit, and Pepperell ’geotagged’ her photo to locate her home.
The girl, now 14, testified that on December 1, 2019, she confided in him about her real age.
Despite this, Pepperell continued his advances and sent flirtatious messages, including compliments about her appearance.
Threatening to kidnap her and expressing a desire for sexual contact, the final messages were intercepted by her mother, who then took over communication with Pepperell on December 3, 2019.
The prosecutor recounted that Pepperell falsely claimed to the mother that the girl was 16, and when confronted, he admitted she had told him she was 16, while continuing the conversation.
The girl testified that she was pressured to send pictures of her face and body, but only sent images of her face and other parts to avoid further exploitation.
She expressed relief when her mother involved the police, ending her ordeal.
