JONATHAN STRAIN CAUGHT IN CARMARTHENSHIRE ONLINE PREDATOR SCHEME
A man from Carmarthenshire, identified as Jonathan Strain, has been convicted of engaging in highly disturbing and explicit online communications with what he believed was a 12-year-old girl.The case, which was heard at Swansea Crown Court, revealed that Strain, aged 37, had initiated contact with a profile on the Wink app, claiming to be a young girl from the Manchester area.
Over the course of several months, he engaged in sexually explicit conversations, encouraging the decoy to perform sexual acts and sending videos of himself masturbating.
Strain also lavished the decoy with compliments, calling her 'beautiful' and 'gorgeous,' professing love, and suggesting he wanted to be her first boyfriend.
He proposed engaging in typical 'boyfriend and girlfriend' activities and expressed a desire to trade nude photographs, offering to buy her a mobile phone with a camera to facilitate this.
Throughout their exchanges, he repeatedly assured her that she could trust him '100%.' In addition to these disturbing messages, Strain instructed the decoy not to tell her friends about their interactions, emphasizing that it was their 'secret.' He also asked if she had school the following day, further indicating his manipulative intent.
The conversations persisted for approximately four months before the decoy's online handlers, part of an online vigilante group, reported the activity to authorities.
The group, based in Wales, then coordinated with local law enforcement.
In March 2022, members of the paedophile hunter group visited Strain's residence in Carmarthenshire, but he was not at home at the time.
His details were subsequently passed to the police, and he was arrested later that evening.
During his police interview, Strain claimed he had lost his mobile phone prior to the conversations with the decoy, which was part of his explanation for the contact.
Strain, who resides on Treherbert Street, Cwmann, Lampeter, Carmarthenshire, had previously admitted to attempting to cause a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and to watch a sexual act.
He has no prior criminal record.
His defense lawyer, Ian Ibrahim, described him as a 'shy' and 'introverted' individual who generally does not communicate much with others.
Judge Huw Rees condemned Strain's actions, emphasizing the vile and explicit nature of his online conduct.
The judge stated that Strain demonstrated an 'unhealthy and deviant interest in pre-teenage girls.' Taking into account his guilty pleas, the court sentenced him to four years and seven months in prison, with a 20% reduction for his cooperation.
Strain is expected to serve up to half of this sentence in custody before being released on licence, after which he will serve the remainder in the community.
Additionally, he will be registered as a sex offender for the rest of his life, reflecting the severity of his crimes and the ongoing risk he poses.
