TRISTAN JACKMAN GROOMS TEENAGE GIRL IN NEWBURY WITH FAKE BIEBER PROFILE

In April 2018, a disturbing case unfolded involving Tristan Jackman, a 50-year-old man from Newbury, who was sentenced to five years in prison after orchestrating a manipulative and predatory scheme targeting a teenage girl. Jackman, a landscape gardener and father of two, used social media deception to groom the girl, exploiting her innocence and trust in a calculated manner.

According to court proceedings, Jackman created a fake online profile on July 13, 2015, just eight days after the girl’s 16th birthday. The profile was designed to appear as an 18-year-old male, using images that resembled the pop star Justin Bieber, aiming to lure the young victim into a false sense of familiarity and safety. The court heard that Jackman asked the girl to send photographs of herself to this fake account, which he used to obtain explicit images and videos of her performing sexual acts, including using a vibrator he provided. Although the images themselves were not recovered, Jackman admitted to receiving them, and police investigations uncovered messages describing the images as “so hot.”

During the trial at Reading Crown Court, jurors learned that Jackman’s online activity was not limited to deception. He had been searching for indecent images of underage girls around the same period, revealing a disturbing obsession with illegal material. Judge James Wood commented on Jackman’s interest, stating, “It’s quite clear to me from evidence in the trial that you developed a keen interest in pornography, both legal and illegal. During your evidence and in your police interview, you spoke about chatrooms concerning sex and videoing of mutual male masturbation with other men. There’s nothing unlawful about that, but the records of your internet searches describe an interest in underage sex.”

Judge Wood further expressed his belief that Jackman considered the girl, once she turned 16, as a permissible target for sexual advances. The court heard that Jackman’s manipulative tactics extended to threatening the girl, warning her that if she told her mother about his actions, he would reveal information about other boys she knew. The grooming process included assaults between February and December 2015, where Jackman used his fingers and tongue to sexually assault the girl. Following these assaults, Jackman sent explicit messages via the Kick app, describing her in crude terms and expressing sexual satisfaction.

Police arrested Jackman in December 2015, and during a raid in May 2016, they seized his devices. The investigation uncovered the fake Facebook account, along with messages exchanged with the victim. Jackman initially claimed that he set up the account to “protect” the girl and dismissed her allegations as fabricated. However, the court found his explanations to be deceitful. The judge emphasized that Jackman’s actions were deliberate, aimed at grooming the girl for sexual exploitation as she grew older. He had also supplied her with two vibrators, which he used in the context of the grooming.

Jackman faced multiple charges, including two counts of possessing and making indecent images classified as category ‘b’ and ‘c’. He also denied but was ultimately convicted of two counts of sexual assault. The court sentenced him to five years in prison, with a minimum of half to be served before release on license. Additionally, Jackman was ordered to register as a sex offender and is subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, reflecting the severity of his crimes and the ongoing risk he poses to the community.