SHAUN STAINSBY FREED AFTER ONLINE GROOMING AND BLACKMAIL IN STOCKTON
In September 2017, Shaun Stainsby, a 34-year-old offender from Stockton, was involved in a disturbing case of online grooming and blackmail.He posed as a young girl on Facebook to obtain nude images from a teenage boy and subsequently sent those images to the boy’s friends.
Stainsby threatened to post naked pictures of the 15-year-old online unless he complied with his demands for more explicit photos.
During a recorded message, he said, “Do as you’re told and the world won’t see you naked.” When the boy blocked him, Stainsby followed through on his threat, prompting the case to be heard at Teesside Crown Court.
Prosecutor Harry Hadfield explained that the case involved grooming and blackmail.
Between 2014 and 2015, Stainsby used false Facebook accounts under the aliases “Lucy” and “Sophie” to contact the boy, requesting indecent images.
The teenager sent topless pictures, but Stainsby continued to threaten him, including sending pictures of the boy’s topless images with his private parts blacked out to the boy’s friends.
He then warned, “I will post these on Facebook for everybody to see.” He also sent the boy messages such as, “Haha you really have no idea who I am, do you?
I’m not really Sophie haha,” and “I’ve got plenty of guys and girls desperate to see you nude.
If you don’t get what I want I will show them.” After the boy’s friends reported the incident, Facebook removed the images.
The victim later told police he felt extremely nervous and paranoid, stating, “I didn’t know who it was and that made me worry even more.
It could have been anybody.
I could have been talking to this person regularly and not even know it.” In a separate incident, a 16-year-old boy sent a nude image of himself to what he believed was a 16-year-old girl, unaware that he was communicating with Stainsby.
Investigations uncovered that Stainsby had downloaded 1,698 child abuse images on his computers, including over 500 at the most severe level.
These images primarily depicted boys aged between 10 and 16, and he also distributed images of teenage girls.
Stainsby, of Rosthwaite Avenue in Stockton, pleaded guilty to nine charges, marking his first offences.
These included two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, one of inciting a child to be involved in pornography, two of distributing indecent images, three of making indecent photographs of children, and one of possessing an extreme pornographic image.
Judge James Spencer QC condemned Stainsby’s actions, describing them as “a very serious criminal way of behaving.” He told Stainsby, “You might find it easy to lie about who you are but it does you no credit to have done so, especially with youngsters who are struggling with their own growing up.
You threatened that boy and on two occasions sought to ridicule him by posting pictures of him in the nude.
Your case richly deserves a prison sentence.” However, the judge did not send Stainsby to prison immediately, citing the time elapsed since the offences, his cooperation and confession to police, and his good behaviour since.
The judge warned, “You had better grow up pretty sharply otherwise you’ll be in serious trouble throughout your life.” Stainsby was sentenced to 18 months in jail, suspended for two years, and ordered to complete a sex offender treatment program.
Additionally, he was given a five-year sexual harm prevention order and will remain on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.
