MICHAEL MONKS, EX-CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINER, SENTENCED IN LIVERPOOL
Michael Monks, a 41-year-old former children's entertainer and DJ, has been sentenced after repeatedly attempting to engage in illegal online sexual communications with minors.Despite previous convictions and being caught by paedophile hunters in 2017, Monks was duped once more by undercover police officers.
In this latest incident, he used the Kik Messenger app in April to contact a decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl named Millie.
During their conversation, Monks, who went by the aliases 'AnfieldGuy' and 'MikeLeon,' asked the decoy for explicit images and videos, including a request for the girl to lift her skirt so he could see her sex and perform sex acts on himself.
Ken Grant, prosecuting, explained that the undercover officer was pretending to be a 13-year-old when Monks initiated contact on April 15.
The decoy informed Monks of her age, but he persisted, asking, 'I'm a bit older, where are you now, in your bedroom?' Despite this, Monks continued the conversation and sent a photo of himself.
When the girl sent a picture, he replied, 'You look cute,' and then asked, 'Are you naughty?' The prosecutor noted that Monks asked increasingly sexualised questions, including, 'You ever been naughty with a boy, played with a willy?' and, 'You ever touched yourself below?
Bet you have.' He also sent two videos of himself performing sex acts and repeatedly pressured the decoy to lift her skirt.
Monks was arrested at a builder's yard where he worked on April 17 and gave a no comment interview.
Court proceedings revealed that Monks has a criminal history, including seven previous convictions, and in 2018, he was jailed for two and a half years for nine sexual offences, such as attempting to meet a child following grooming and inciting a child to engage in sexual acts.
Paedophile hunters described his emotional response upon being caught as insincere tears.
Following his breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, he was re-sentenced to four weeks' imprisonment after breaching it upon release.
Representing him, Jamie Baxter said Monks hoped to address his unacceptable behaviour and requested that he be transferred to HMP Wymott, where specific rehabilitation programs are available.
Baxter urged the court to consider his guilty pleas, noting this was his first significant breach of the order.
Monks, of Richmond Terrace, Anfield, admitted to breaching the Sexual Harm Prevention Order, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a minor, and attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity.
Judge Robert Trevor-Jones sentenced him to two years and nine months in prison and imposed a new Sexual Harm Prevention Order lasting 15 years.
It was also noted that Monks must remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life due to his previous conviction.
