JOSH CHECKSFIELD FROM STOKE AVOIDS JAIL AFTER SEXUAL OFFENSES INVOLVING SCHOOLGIRL
In December 2020, a disturbing case involving Josh Checksfield, an 18-year-old resident of Stoke, came to light at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.Checksfield was found guilty of engaging in inappropriate and illegal communications with a young girl, which included soliciting explicit images and encouraging sexual acts.
Checksfield had been communicating with the girl through various social media platforms, including Snapchat and Instagram, using multiple accounts with different names.
During these exchanges, he repeatedly asked her to send nude photographs of herself and even encouraged her to perform a sexual act.
In response, Checksfield sent her explicit pictures and videos of himself performing a sex act, further escalating the inappropriate nature of their interactions.
The situation intensified when Checksfield met the girl in person.
On two separate occasions, he kissed her on the lips, actions that added to the seriousness of his misconduct.
The case was brought to attention when a third party discovered the ongoing messages, leading to Checksfield's arrest.
Authorities acted swiftly once the messages were uncovered, leading to his detention.
Despite the gravity of his actions, Checksfield avoided a custodial sentence of two and a half years.
Instead, he was sentenced to a three-year community order, which was deemed an appropriate alternative by the court.
This decision was made to allow Checksfield to benefit from the support and supervision of the probation service, aiming to prevent future offending.
Prosecutor Peter Arnold outlined the details of the case, emphasizing the disturbing nature of the messages.
He stated, "There were messages encouraging the girl to get naked and to send pictures, and asking her to perform a sex act.
The complainant said he had sent her naked photos and asked her to send him naked photos back.
She said he sent photos and videos of himself performing a sex act.
He tried to persuade her to leave her house in the early hours of the morning.
He told her he would look after her.
He kissed her on the lips on two occasions." Checksfield, who resides on Fletcher Road in Stoke, pleaded guilty to charges of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and engaging in sexual communication with a child.
The judge, Glenn, described the community order as an alternative to the prison sentence, highlighting the severity of the case.
Judge Glenn remarked, "The child is terrified of you and wanted to move away from the area to get away from you.
I do not accept for a minute you believed she was 16.
Nor do I accept you have no sexual attraction to children.
You are a high risk of causing serious harm to children, in particular females aged 12 to 16.
But you are not charged with contact offences." The community order includes participation in a sexual offending group work program and a 45-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
Additionally, Checksfield's movements will be monitored via GPS for six months.
He has also been subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for seven years and has been placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for five years, reflecting the court's concern over his potential risk to the community.
