MARK ADAMS OF WORKINGTON JAILED FOR ONLINE SEX OFFENCES AGAINST A CHILD
A manipulative man from Workington, Mark Adams, 39, created a deceitful online profile using photographs of a woman he knew, with the intention of establishing sexual contact with a schoolgirl.Carlisle Crown Court heard that Adams attempted to persuade a '13-year-old girl' he believed he was chatting with on social media to engage in sexual acts, unaware that he was actually speaking with an undercover police officer.
Adams admitted to four counts of sexually communicating with a child and one charge of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, resulting in his imprisonment.
Prosecutor Damian Nolan explained that Adams had fabricated a profile depicting a gay 21-year-old woman on a dating website to attract young girls.
He was actively seeking to make contact with minors, Nolan said.
The court was told that Adams engaged in sexual communication with a user, whom he believed was 13 years old, despite the police officer explicitly stating her age early in their conversation.
The two also exchanged phone numbers.
Their messages, exchanged over four days from February 4 to 7, 2020, included Adams repeatedly requesting indecent images of the girl, sending naked pictures himself, and urging her to perform sexual acts.
On February 7, Adams made a specific request for her to undress and perform a sex act and attempted to listen in on her via two WhatsApp calls.
Nolan emphasized that Adams appeared intent on controlling and driving the entire conversation from start to finish.
The messages referred to the girl being in school uniform and on her way home, yet every day Adams persistently solicited sexualized images or acts.
The court also heard that the woman whose photos Adams used was unaware of his deception and was left deeply distressed when police revealed what had happened.
Throughout three police interviews, Adams denied any wrongdoing, claiming someone else might have accessed his online profiles.
Defence lawyer Anthony Parkinson stated that Adams was assessed as posing a low risk of reoffending but a medium risk of causing serious harm, expressing hope for rehabilitation.
He argued that Adams’s explanations stemmed from shame and embarrassment, noting that his offences occurred nearly two years prior, and since his arrest, he had lost his home, strained his relationship with his partner, and lost employment.
Judge Nicholas Barker acknowledged that until these offences, Adams had led a crime-free life and was steadily employed.
However, he emphasized that Adams created the fake profile specifically to engage sexual contact with minors.
The judge described Adams’s communication as "highly sexualised, persistent, demanding, and controlling," despite knowing the girl was only 13.
Adams was sentenced to 27 months in custody, with the judge stating that immediate imprisonment was necessary due to the seriousness of his actions and the deception involved.
His name will be entered on the Sex Offender Register for ten years, and he was also subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which prohibits him from having unsupervised contact with any girls under 16.
