NEWTON AYCLIFFE MAN SENTENCED FOR SENDING SEXUALLY EXPLICIT VIDEOS TO UNDERCOVER POLICE OFFICER
A man from Newton Aycliffe named Michael Bagnall was involved in sending sexually explicit videos to a girl he believed was a teenage girl, but who was actually an undercover police officer.The videos depicted him performing a sex act recorded in his home bedroom.
He used a fake name on Snapchat and befriended the police decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl from London.
Prosecutors stated that he claimed to be 14 years old and from Newcastle, and the conversation became sexually explicit as he sent seven videos of himself.
The police traced his activity to his address, leading to his arrest.
Bagnall pleaded guilty to attempting to make sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity between September 12 and October 23 of the previous year.
He was sentenced to 19 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, with additional requirements including 30 days of rehabilitation activity, 200 hours of unpaid work, ten years on the sex offenders' register, and a sexual harm prevention order for ten years.
The judge criticized his intoxication claim, stating that it was inconsistent with the month-long conduct, and emphasized that the police encounter was part of efforts to catch paedophiles exploiting the internet.
