GARY PALMER FROM TROWBRIDGE SENT BACK TO JAIL AFTER ONLINE PREDATION STING IN SWINDON
UPDATE 22/12/2022: Gary Palmer, 42, of The Halve, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual communication with a child and nine counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.Between 21 September 2021 and 18 October 2021, Palmer engaged in conversation online with what he thought was a young girl.
He spoke in detail about sexual activity he wanted to carry out on the girl, who he believed to be just 12-years-old.
He then instructed her to carry out a sexual act on herself.
During his communication with the profile, Palmer also sent videos of himself performing sexual acts.
He was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court to five years with an extension period of three years following a joint investigation by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit and the Child Internet Exploitation Team at Wiltshire Police.
He will also be subject to a sexual harm prevention order.
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In April 2018, Gary Palmer, a resident of Trowbridge, found himself once again behind bars following a disturbing online encounter that revealed his continued predatory behaviour.
The incident unfolded when Palmer attempted to engage a supposed 14-year-old girl in a sexual act via Skype, a conversation that was secretly monitored by law enforcement officers.
During the chat, Palmer sent a repulsive image of himself and tried to persuade the young girl to perform a sexual act on herself, all for his own gratification.
Unbeknownst to him, the individual he was communicating with was not a teenage girl but an undercover police officer operating under the alias Phoebe.
The officer was actively patrolling internet chat rooms, posing as a vulnerable minor to catch predators like Palmer.
Prosecutor Colin Meeke outlined to Swindon Crown Court that Palmer, who resides on Sparrow Street in Trowbridge, had previously been banned from online chat rooms as part of a sentence handed down in 2009.
Despite this restriction, Palmer initiated contact with the officer in February, leading to a highly sexualized exchange.
Throughout the conversation, the officer repeatedly emphasised that she was a 14-year-old girl, yet Palmer's responses quickly devolved into explicit and obscene language, which Mr.
Meeke chose not to detail in full but described as lurid and disturbing.
Palmer's attempts to coerce the fictitious schoolgirl into performing sexual acts included the sending of vile images of himself and even material depicting bestiality.
The evidence gathered from the chat, combined with the officer's observations, prompted authorities to trace Palmer's computer.
Law enforcement officials subsequently executed a search at his home, where they recovered two mobile phones.
One of these devices confirmed Palmer's contact with the undercover officer.
Confronted with the evidence, Palmer admitted to the authorities that he had engaged in the illicit communications and actions.
He was charged with breaching a sexual offences prevention order, attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, and possessing extreme pornography.
The court was informed that Palmer had a lengthy criminal history related to child exploitation.
In 2009, while living in Salisbury, he was sentenced to five years in prison after contacting girls under the age of 13 online, persuading them to undress and perform sexual acts on themselves while he watched via webcam.
During that period, he also distributed indecent images of children and was found to possess over 800 images depicting child abuse.
Palmer was released from prison in 2011 but was returned to custody after breaching his license conditions.
He was eventually released again in 2015.
His defence, represented by Nicola Talbot-Hadley, argued that Palmer was remorseful and recognised the need for help with his issues.
She also highlighted that his recent remand had resulted in the loss of his job and accommodation, which she described as a single lapse in judgment.
However, Judge Jason Taylor QC was unequivocal in his assessment.
Addressing Palmer directly, the judge stated, “You said to probation that you are attracted to girls over the age of 11.
You are a high risk of committing further sexual offences.
The ‘girl’ was an undercover police officer patrolling the chat room.
Had she not been an officer, she might have been a real 14-year-old girl.” Consequently, Palmer was sentenced to 18 months in prison, with an extended three-year license period, meaning he would serve approximately two-thirds of the custodial sentence.
This sentence reflects the serious nature of his offenses and the ongoing risk he poses to the community.
