VICTOR SKERRATT SHOCKS LEICESTER WITH INTERNET SEX OFFENSES INVOLVING TEEN GIRLS
In January 2013, a disturbing case emerged involving Victor Skerratt, an 18-year-old man from Leicester, who engaged in a series of online predatory behaviors targeting underage girls.The court heard that Skerratt persuaded a 13-year-old girl from the West Midlands to send him an indecent photograph of herself through social media channels.
Using manipulative tactics, he threatened to upload the explicit image onto Facebook unless she complied with his demands for more intimate pictures.
Fearing the potential exposure and the consequences, the young girl became frightened and promptly reported the incident to the police authorities.
Further investigations revealed that Skerratt, who had recently turned 18, also attempted to coerce a 15-year-old girl from South Gloucestershire into sending him similar explicit images.
However, this girl refused to comply with his requests.
The police uncovered that Skerratt had downloaded numerous indecent images of young girls from the internet, some of which were of an anonymous nature.
These images ranged across various categories, with the least serious being level one, and more explicit images classified at higher levels, including level four, just below the most severe category, level five.
At Leicester Crown Court, Skerratt pleaded guilty to multiple charges.
He admitted to two counts of inciting girls under 16 to engage in sexual activity by displaying their body parts, which occurred between January and May of the previous year.
Additionally, he confessed to making indecent images of girls by downloading them in July.
Prosecutor Philip Gibbs detailed that Skerratt had accessed a total of 63 images in the least serious category, along with three images at level two, 17 at level three, and four at level four.
The court was told that Skerratt had initially contacted the 13-year-old girl randomly through an online networking group in January.
Her real name and age were clearly visible on her profile, yet Skerratt falsely claimed to be 15.
He then asked her for an indecent picture of herself, which she reluctantly sent via her laptop webcam.
After a period of silence, she resumed activity on social media on March 26, when Skerratt reinitiated contact.
During their online exchange, he demanded more explicit images, threatening to distribute her original photo on Facebook if she refused.
Under duress, she sent two or three additional images.
In response, Skerratt sent her an indecent picture, believed to be of himself.
The girl reported her fears to the authorities, worried about the future misuse of her images.
In addition to this, Skerratt engaged in inappropriate online conversations with the 15-year-old girl from South Gloucestershire, discussing plans to run away to a hot country together and make love.
The girl warned him that he was breaking the law because of her age, but Skerratt persisted in his advances.
Having no previous convictions, Skerratt was sentenced to a two-year community order, which includes supervision, and was ordered to register as a sex offender for five years.
Judge Sylvia De Bertodano emphasized that because Skerratt was 18 at the time of the offenses, her sentencing would differ from what it might have been if he had been older, such as 25.
She highlighted the serious impact that such online activities can have, even if conducted in private.
Defense lawyer Daniel Bishop acknowledged Skerratt’s immediate admission of guilt and stated that the proceedings had provided him with insight into the harm caused to the victims.
The case underscores the dangers of online grooming and the importance of vigilance in protecting minors from exploitation.
