LINCOLNSHIRE MAN MICHAEL ROSEBERRY SENTENCED FOR ONLINE CHILDPORN AND INTRODUCING UNDERAGE GIRLS TO SEXUAL CONTENT

In September 2017, Michael Roseberry, a 44-year-old from Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison for encouraging underage girls across the UK to send him explicit photos online. Roseberry, who misrepresented his age, targeted seven girls under 16 years old.

Lincoln Crown Court heard that Roseberry was identified after a mother discovered her 15-year-old daughter communicating with a man claiming to be 17 on a social media platform. Prosecutor Dawn Pritchard explained, "The mother checked her daughter’s phone and found that the man talking to her was in fact Roseberry."

The court was told that the teenage girl had sent Roseberry nude photographs and a video of herself touching herself. Records revealed that Roseberry also sent her controlling messages, instructing her to call him "Sir" or "Master," and even told her how she could take her own life.

Further investigation showed that following his arrest in April 2015, analysis of Roseberry’s laptop and phone uncovered contact with six additional girls aged between 13 and 15. Miss Pritchard stated, "He had been contacting girls online and requesting naked pictures; it is clear he knew their ages. Most of these girls were going through their GCSEs."

Victims from locations including Southampton and Merseyside came forward. One girl had sent Roseberry two nude photos of her backside, while another sent him a picture wearing underwear after he threatened to tell her mother she was self-harming.

In her victim impact statement, one girl described her ordeal as having "been put through hell," and another said it was "too much to cope with."

Roseberry, currently residing on Gors Road, Towyn, North Wales, did not comment during his police interview but pleaded guilty to nine counts of encouraging or inciting a child to engage in pornography and one count of encouraging or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. He also admitted possessing a small number of low-category indecent images and extreme images.

Judge Simon Hirst, presiding over the case, told Roseberry that his interview with the Probation Service provided little insight into his motivations. He remarked, "It has given me some insight into you."

As part of his sentence, Roseberry was ordered to register as a sex offender for life and was served with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.