Offender avoids jail after soliciting images from minors

OFFENDER AVOIDS JAIL AFTER SOLICITING IMAGES FROM MINORS

A predator who asked children half his age for sick photographs and videos has avoided jail.

Philip Malpass, aged 29, used Kik Messenger to communicate with teenage girls after finding their usernames online.

Bolton Crown Court was told that two of the accounts he contacted turned out to be undercover police officers.

Malpass, of Kirby Avenue, Atherton, pleaded guilty to four counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and one count of possessing indecent images.

Prosecution barrister Roger Brown described that the offending began in March 2020 when Malpass spoke to a police officer pretending to be a 13-year-old girl.

He expressed admiration for the girl, saying she looked 'beautiful', and explicitly stated his intent to 'f***' them.

When informed the girl was 13, Malpass responded that he 'thought they would look amazing in uniform' and asked to see a photograph.

He also made disturbing requests, telling one girl he wanted to see her in underwear and later that he would pleasure himself while viewing her selfies.

Upon receiving a video from her, he made a vile comment about it.

On a different occasion, aged 28 at the time, Malpass told another girl his age, and she replied, 'I’m literally half your age'.

He asked her for a video of her performing a sexual act on herself, called her a 'good girl', and requested she 'send some selfies to daddy'.

Police arrested Malpass and interviewed him on August 4, 2020, during which he admitted he had spoken to young girls but claimed he never talked to anyone younger than 13.

The court heard that Malpass had no prior convictions and pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

Recorder Alexandra Simmonds sentenced him to eight months imprisonment, suspended for two years, and ordered him to complete 35 days of rehabilitation activity and 120 hours of unpaid work.