REECE CALLAGHAN GATESHEAD PERVERT TARGETS TEEN GIRLS IN NEWCASTLE AND BEYOND
In February 2017, Reece Callaghan, a 20-year-old from Gateshead, was sentenced to three years and five months in prison at Newcastle Crown Court for a series of disturbing offences involving the grooming and sexual exploitation of young girls.Despite being under strict court-imposed conditions following his previous conviction in 2014, Callaghan repeatedly breached these restrictions, demonstrating a blatant disregard for the law and the safety of minors.
Callaghan had been subject to a sexual offences prevention order since 2014, which was intended to restrict his contact with minors and prevent further offending.
However, after his release from a young offenders institution in December 2015, he resumed his predatory behavior.
He used social media platforms, particularly Facebook, to establish connections with numerous girls, many of whom were as young as 13.
Court records revealed that he was Facebook friends with 18 pupils from one Newcastle school and 23 from another, despite the restrictions placed upon him.
During the court proceedings, it was disclosed that Callaghan had posed as a 16-year-old to lure his victims.
His actions included attempting to persuade a girl to skip school so they could meet for sexual activity, and he also offered cannabis as a bribe to another girl.
The police investigation uncovered that Callaghan had sent a friend request to a 13-year-old girl on Facebook, engaging in hundreds of messages with her, fully aware of her age and his legal restrictions.
He asked her to send pictures of herself, inquired about her underwear, and even requested a face-to-face meeting.
In addition to this, Callaghan maintained contact with a 15-year-old girl through Facebook, phone calls, and text messages.
He eventually met her in person, where he gave her cigarettes and cannabis—an act the judge described as “no doubt as a bribe.” During this meeting, he attempted to force her to touch him sexually and asked her for intimate photographs.
The court also heard that Callaghan had targeted a girl from his previous offences in 2014.
By spring 2016, when she was 17, she received friend requests from him on Facebook and Snapchat.
She ignored these attempts and reported him to the police, but he continued to contact her, sending another friend request before his arrest in April of that year.
At the time of his arrest, Callaghan denied the allegations, claiming that his ex-girlfriend had set him up.
He was granted bail pending further inquiries.
However, just a month later, he was caught again, this time contacting another 13-year-old girl, with whom he exchanged kisses and cuddles.
Although no charges were brought in relation to this specific incident, it was part of the evidence used against him in court.
During the trial, it was revealed that Callaghan had lied about his age, claiming to be 16, to make the young girls feel more comfortable and to facilitate his grooming behavior.
He also asked one girl how old she was, to which she replied 13, and he responded with a disturbing comment, “You would still get it like.” The court was told that Callaghan’s mother had to intervene when he asked a 13-year-old girl to skip school and meet him for sex.
Her mother, suspicious of his intentions, pretended to be her daughter in conversations with Callaghan, which ultimately led to his arrest.
Police found that a total of 18 girls under 16 from one Newcastle school and 23 from another had accepted friend requests from him on social media, highlighting the extent of his online grooming.
Callaghan pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including six breaches of the sexual offences prevention order, meeting a child following sexual grooming, and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
Judge Amanda Rippon sentenced him to three years and five months in prison, with an extended two-year license period due to the significant risk he posed.
She emphasized the seriousness of his breaches, noting that he used lies and drugs to facilitate his predatory behavior.
Additionally, he was ordered to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely and was placed under an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.
The court heard that all victims had been left traumatized and fearful as a result of Callaghan’s actions.
Deborah Smithies, representing the defendant, argued that Callaghan’s impulse control issues contributed to his offending.
She explained that he had initially deleted Facebook from his phone after his first conviction, recognizing the risks involved, but was unable to maintain abstinence.
Smithies also highlighted that Callaghan was still young himself, with much growing up to do, and expressed hope that he had now understood the gravity of his actions.
The case underscores the ongoing dangers posed by individuals like Callaghan, who exploit social media to target vulnerable minors despite legal restrictions meant to prevent such behavior.
