SKEGNESS MAN SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEXUAL COMMUNICATION

A man who believed he was sending sexual messages to under-age girls has been sentenced to prison.Lee Knowles, 41, who has no fixed address, was apprehended in Skegness in February 2022 after being tracked down by paedophile hunters in a supermarket car park.Lincoln Crown Court was told that Knowles had used Facebook to send messages, including to a decoy profile created by the group, pretending to be a 13-year-old girl. He admitted to four charges of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, leading to a jail sentence of one year and two months.The court heard that Knowles had also been sending friend requests on Facebook. Neil Sands, the prosecutor, revealed Knowles told the decoy that she was "pretty" and asked to see photos. He also stated, "I would marry someone like you if a bit older" and added, "I will take your virginity." Further analysis of his phone showed that Knowles had been in contact with two other profiles he believed to be under-age girls, and with two more individuals he thought were under 13.The judge, Sjolin Knight, stated that the contact persisted despite knowing the profiles' ages and that the messages quickly turned sexual. In mitigation, it was noted that Knowles was "sofa surfing" and heavily drinking at the time of the offences, and he had no memory of contacting the decoy girls. Additionally, he was ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years and was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same duration.