MICHAEL TEDSTONE SENTENCED IN BRISTOL FOR SECOND OFFENCE INVOLVING CHILD-RELATED CHATTER
A man has been caught engaging in sexually explicit conversations with a child who did not exist - for the second time in two years.In 2019, Michael Tedstone received a suspended sentence after being convicted of attempted child sexual activity.
Bristol Crown Court heard that he was initially caught by an adult during a paedophile sting operation, and last year he was caught again.
Tedstone, 25, of Weston-super-Mare, pleaded guilty in October last year to attempting to incite child sexual activity, breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and attempting sexual communication with a child.
Mr.
Malcolm Gibney, the judge, sentenced him to two years and eight months in prison.
Judge Gibney addressed Tedstone, stating, "It would appear you have not learned your lesson from your appearance in this court." Emma Martin, prosecuting, explained that when Tedstone interacted with "Olivia, aged 13," online, he was actually communicating with an undercover police officer.
The court learned that Tedstone recognized and used platforms such as Kick and Snapchat to chat with the fictitious child.
The interactions escalated from Tedstone sending Olivia photos of his face and chest, to asking her to send him pictures.
Mrs.
Martin stated, "Chats became increasingly sexualised, and he was sent a photo of a young female wearing underwear before he reciprocated with a photo of his naked private parts." The court also heard that Tedstone made sexualised suggestions to the 'child,' leading to his removal from the platforms.
When police visited him, Tedstone was candid, telling them, "I pretty much screwed up again, haven't I?" His phone was examined; although no indecent images of children were found, it contained "predatory search terms," the court was told.
Matthew Jackson, defending, remarked, "It is one of the more open and honest accounts given by an offender for offences of this nature," adding that Tedstone is realistic about his situation.
"This is his first time in custody," Jackson noted, and requested that the sentence be tempered with some mercy, stating, "He knows he will remain there for a significant period of time."
