January 2013 Threat to put indecent pictures of girl on Facebook site A teenager persuaded a 13-year-old girl over the internet to send him an indecent picture of herself, then threatened to post it on Facebook, a court heard. Victor Skerratt told the girl he would publish the photo on the social networking site unless she sent more intimate shots of herself, which she did. The girl, from the West Midlands, became scared and reported the matter to the police. Skerratt, who had just turned 18, also tried to persuade a 15-year-old girl from South Gloucestershire to send him intimate photographs of herself, but she refused. The police discovered Skerratt had downloaded indecent images of anonymous young girls from the internet. At Leicester Crown Court, Skerratt, now 19, admitted two counts of inciting girls under 16 to engage in sexual activity, by displaying their body parts, between January and May last year. He also admitted making indecent images of girls, by downloading them last July. Philip Gibbs, prosecuting, said Skerratt accessed 63 images in the least serious category at level one, three images at level two, 17 at level three and four at level four – one step below the most serious category, which is level five. The court heard Skerratt contacted the 13-year-old “randomly” via an online networking group in January. Her correct name and age were displayed. Skerratt claimed to be 15. Mr Gibbs said Skerratt asked the girl for an indecent picture of herself, which “unfortunately, she sent”, using her laptop webcam. “She stopped using the laptop for a while, but, on March 26, she was back on the social networking scene,” said Mr Gibbs. In an online conversation with the girl, Skerratt asked her for more indecent pictures “saying if not he would distribute her original picture on Facebook”, said Mr Gibbs. As a result of the demand, she sent two or three images. In return, Skerratt sent her an indecent picture, presumably of himself, said Mr Gibbs. The girl reported the matter because she was scared about what would happen to the pictures in the future. The court heard that Skerratt “chatted up” the other girl, from South Gloucestershire, over the internet and mentioned “running away to a hot country together and making love”. Mr Gibbs said: “She told him he was breaking the law because of her age.” Skerratt, who had no previous convictions, was sentenced to a two-year community order, with supervision, and will be a on a sex offender register for five years. Judge Sylvia De Bertodano said because Skerratt was 18 at the time of the offence, she would deal with him differently than if he had been 25. “What you do in the privacy of your home on a computer can sometimes have a serious effect on people a long way away,” she said. Daniel Bishop, mitigating, said: “He immediately admitted to the police he was guilty. “These proceedings have had the desired effect and he’s now got an insight into the effect on the two girls.”