IAN KAUFMAN, LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL COACH, SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES
A 48-year-old football coach from Liverpool, Ian Kaufman, was convicted of committing serious sexual offences involving minors.Kaufman engaged in online grooming by posing as a 17-year-old boy on Snapchat, while he was actually 48.
He tricked a 16-year-old girl into sending him explicit images by pretending to be a teenage male.
To facilitate his grooming, Kaufman used software to save videos and images she shared on Snapchat.
During a police raid on his home, authorities discovered various disturbing images, including some of children as young as two years old involved in sexual abuse, as well as cartoons depicting children being raped.
Prosecutor Ken Grant told the court that one of the images involved a very young girl.
The police investigation was initiated after a report about the uploading of an indecent image via Kik Messenger.
In his interview with officers, Kaufman admitted he had set up a Kik account under the name 'JJDingle1' but denied uploading any indecent images.
He claimed he didn't realize sharing explicit content with a minor was an offence.
However, he admitted to speaking with a 16-year-old girl from Scotland on Snapchat, where he falsely claimed to be 17.
He also confessed to sending her images he had sourced from the internet, including one of a male penis.
The girl sent Kaufman a video of herself using a sex toy and touching her breasts.
Kaufman used Mobizen, an application that allows users to save social media videos even after deletion, to record these exchanges.
He believed the girl had sent him such videos around February 2020 and stated he did not ask for them but was in an online relationship with her, which he claimed explained her sending such content.
Kaufman also sent her money on two occasions and a necklace, citing his sympathy for her financial difficulties.
Further investigation revealed that he possessed numerous indecent images of children, including some of extreme pornography and bestiality.
During a second interview, Kaufman denied using Twitter for accessing child pornography.
The images found on his devices included eight Category A videos, two Category B pictures, and thirty-seven Category C images.
Despite these issues, Kaufman had no prior convictions.
His defence lawyer, Mr.
Lennon, noted that Kaufman had a difficult upbringing but had worked as a community football coach with no previous complaints about his conduct.
He emphasized that Kaufman had issues within his marriage and was seeking sexual gratification online—a behavior he described as a "complete aberration." Kaufman expressed remorse, accepted his behavior was "unacceptable and inexcusable," and had taken steps to seek help, including contacting the Lucy Faithful Foundation and completing twelve online modules.
It was revealed that he suffers from cerebral palsy and epilepsy and was himself a victim of abuse as a child.
His lawyer also highlighted that Kaufman voluntarily provided information to police leading to the girl’s identification.
Kaufman has struggled with mental health issues, having attempted to take his own life four times since April of the previous year.
He faced vilification from his local community and was compelled to move out of his home, even living in his car outside the city.
His defence argued that prison would make him highly vulnerable.
He pleaded guilty to possessing Category A, B, and C images, including extreme pornography, attempting to take indecent photographs of a child, and making such images.
Judge David Swinnerton sentenced Kaufman to two years and eight months in prison.
He ordered Kaufman to register as a sex offender for life and comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same period.
The judge stated that Kaufman had sent the girl fifty images, a necklace, and photographs of a boy he pretended was himself.
Though Kaufman claimed he did not request the videos, he admitted to using screen-capturing software to save them.
The judge underscored that, regardless of whether Kaufman asked for them, the girl sent these images due to his deception, constituting grooming.
Judge Swinnerton noted that Kaufman kept ten videos of the girl, some over eight minutes long, and questioned whether the girl was aware she was being recorded.
He affirmed that Kaufman kept these images for his sexual gratification.
The act of capturing and storing the videos was deemed production of indecent images.
The judge also highlighted how he enticed her with highly sexualized comments during her self-filming.
While recognizing that Kaufman’s disabilities and early admissions were mitigating factors, the court confirmed that his grooming behavior was an aggravating element.
Kaufman was thus sentenced to prison, with additional requirements to register as a sex offender for life and adhere to the sexual harm prevention order.
