NICHOLAS OWEN FROM PETERBOROUGH JAILED FOR SEXUALISED MESSAGES TO 14-YEAR-OLD ON DATING APP
In August 2023, a man from Peterborough named Nicholas Owen was sentenced to prison after engaging in inappropriate and sexualised communication with an individual he believed to be a 14-year-old boy.The incident began on September 6, 2021, when Owen initiated contact with the supposed teenager through a popular dating application.
Unbeknownst to Owen, the person he was communicating with was actually an adult, but the individual had clearly stated their age as 14.
Despite this, Owen persisted in his attempts to engage with the person, escalating the nature of his messages over a period of six weeks.
During this time, he sent numerous messages containing sexually explicit questions and requests for indecent photographs.
His communications also included attempts to arrange a physical meeting for sexual activity.
Initially, Owen used the dating app to contact the individual.
At one point, he switched to using his work phone for a day to continue the communication.
Subsequently, he started contacting the person from a different device, indicating an effort to conceal his activities.
Owen’s actions eventually came to light when authorities traced the devices used in the communication.
His employer played a crucial role in the investigation, as one of the phones involved was registered to the company.
The employer was able to confirm Owen’s movements referenced in some of the messages, which helped law enforcement identify him.
Owen was arrested on February 8 of the following year, and during his police interview, he admitted to attempting to cause or incite a boy aged between 13 and 15 to engage in sexual activity.
He also confessed to engaging in sexual communication with a child.
Owen, who resides at Wainwright, Werrington, in Peterborough, faced charges at Peterborough Crown Court.
On Thursday, August 3, he was sentenced to 26 months in prison.
In addition to his custodial sentence, Owen was issued a sexual harm prevention order that will remain in effect for ten years, aiming to prevent any future offending of a similar nature.
