WAYNE COLLINS SENTENCED IN LIVERPOOL FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES
Wayne Collins, a 29-year-old from Belmont Road in Anfield, was convicted of sending explicit images and messaging children online, then falsely blaming his brothers during police interviews.Collins believed he was communicating with minors when he discussed sex and sent nude pictures of himself over the internet.
In reality, both the 13-year-old girl, who used the alias 'Bella,' and the 12-year-old 'Jess' — whom he met on Kik Messenger — were undercover police officers.
Police raided Collins' home on Belmont Road and confiscated his Sony Xperia phone, discovering indecent images of children and a collection of explicit photos he had taken of himself.
Liverpool Crown Court heard testimony about the case, which involved Collins attempting to shift blame onto his brothers.
Prosecutor Katy Appleton explained that Collins engaged in online chats with Bella from the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) between July 16 and August 9, 2019.
Under the username wayno37, Collins claimed to be 24 while Bella asserted she was 13 from Exeter.
After just a day of chatting, Collins initiated sexual content, sharing a photo of his erect penis and asking about her breast size.
He also requested that she keep their conversations private, warning her not to show anyone.
Ms.
Appleton described how Collins sent a nude photograph of himself, from the waist down, wearing only boxer shorts, and asked Bella for photos in shorts and a bikini top.
He instructed her on sexual acts and inquired if she wanted to lose her virginity.
The police investigation from SWROCU couldn't identify Collins initially, but later the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) tracked him down.
On September 2 and 3, 2019, Collins contacted an officer posing as Jess, a 12-year-old girl from Cheshire.
During this interaction, which he believed was Jess, Collins, now claiming to be 22, sent a photo of his erect penis, inquired about her breasts, asked for photos, and sent a picture of himself holding his penis.
He asked if he could 'f***' her and proposed meeting so she could suck his 'lollipop.' Using the IP address linked to Collins, Merseyside Police executed a search at his home on November 13, 2019.
Collins claimed he had not used Kik for about two years, though his phone contained two Category C indecent images of children.
During questioning, Collins denied sending images of his penis to any child but admitted his phone might have images of himself that he had shared with adults.
He also claimed his brothers used the phone without his knowledge since it was not PIN protected.
Collins maintained he did not have a Kik account or contact Jess and insisted he was 28, not 22, as suggested earlier, and that one of his brothers was aged 20 or 21.
Police interviewed his brothers; one stated he had visited Collins three times that year but never used his phone or social media, while the other said he had lived with Collins for two weeks in 2019 but was mostly at work or with his girlfriend.
The second brother admitted using Collins' phone once to view images of girls, which girls, apparently, had sent to Collins, and photos Collins had shared.
He described calling Collins 'dirty' and having an argument with him, which he told their mother about.
A probation officer confirmed that the second brother had met with Collins during his probation appointment.
When pressed, Collins called this brother a 'pathological liar' and claimed he was with him during the appointment, suggesting he had been falsely accused.
Collins, with no prior convictions, pleaded guilty to multiple charges including downloading and possessing indecent images of children, attempting to communicate sexually with a child, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and trying to persuade a child to view sexual images.
Defence lawyer Paul Becker referenced a character testimonial from Collins' stepfather, who was present in the courtroom, and acknowledged Collins' vehement denials during pre-sentence interviews.
Mr.
Becker argued that Collins had experienced significant shame and that community-based help through a sex offender treatment program might be more beneficial than prison.
He described Collins as lacking social skills, socially isolated, and more comfortable behind a device than in social situations.
Judge Recorder Mark Ainsworth acknowledged the seriousness of the offences and sentenced Collins to 20 months in prison.
He also ordered Collins to register as a sex offender and adhere to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.
