ROBERT PARSONS BRADFORD TECH ADDICT SENTENCED FOR SEXTING AND HACKING TEEN GIRLS' SNAPCHAT ACCOUNTS
A 22-year-old man from Bradford, Robert Parsons, has been sentenced to prison after a series of disturbing offences involving the hacking of teenage girls' Snapchat accounts and attempts to coerce them into sending explicit images.The court heard that Parsons engaged in manipulative and malicious behavior, targeting victims aged between 14 and 19, and on one occasion, he even impersonated a 14-year-old boy to deceive his victims.
His actions caused significant emotional and psychological trauma to the young girls involved, with Bradford Crown Court describing the impact as severe.
Parsons was handed a five-year custodial sentence, which will be followed by a closely supervised four-year license period to monitor his conduct post-release.
During an earlier hearing, Parsons, who was already subject to previous sexual prevention orders, admitted to committing 24 separate offences related to unlawfully accessing the Snapchat accounts of his victims.
The court was informed that his breaches of court orders and his persistent online misconduct demonstrated a blatant disregard for legal restrictions.
Prosecutor David McGonigal highlighted that Parsons' actions left the victims feeling frightened, humiliated, and vulnerable.
One particularly distressing incident involved Parsons posting an intimate photograph of a 15-year-old girl on a public platform, further exacerbating her trauma.
The mother of this victim described her daughter's ordeal as horrific, revealing that Parsons had blackmailed her during the course of his offending.
It was also revealed that Parsons, who has a known addiction to internet devices, continued his offending despite existing court orders designed to prevent such behavior.
His persistent online activity and refusal to cease his harmful actions underscored his dangerousness.
Judge Andrew Hatton, presiding over the case, emphasized the severity of the psychological harm inflicted on the victims.
He stated that Parsons' conduct met the criteria for an extended sentence as a dangerous offender, reflecting the serious nature of his crimes.
Parsons' criminal record includes previous convictions for creating indecent images of children when he was aged 15 and 16.
The offences for which Parsons was convicted also included attempting to induce sexual activity without consent, disclosing private sexual images without permission, breaching a sexual harm prevention order, violating sex offender notification requirements, and possessing indecent images of children.
Representing Parsons, his barrister Abdul Shakoor explained that his client’s addiction to pornography had contributed to his social isolation, which was worsened by the COVID-19 lockdown.
Shakoor noted that fortunately, none of the victims sent Parsons the images he demanded, meaning no sexual activity without consent actually occurred.
Parsons, who was formerly residing at Wavertree Park Gardens in Bradford, is currently held at HMP Leeds.
In addition to his prison sentence, he was issued a nine-year sexual harm prevention order and is required to remain on the Sexual Offenders' Register for life.
Detective Inspector Lee Speight commented on the case, stating that Parsons remains a significant threat to young women and praised the bravery of the victims and their families for coming forward and providing evidence that was crucial to securing his conviction.
