Warrington paedophile in court over sex chats with ’12-year-old girl’

[Artaxerxes II]

https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/ne ... -old-girl/:

A JUDGE slammed a paedophile for ‘burying his head in the sand’ after being caught sharing sex chats with someone he believed was a child.

Matthew Dempsey was in fact talking to a police officer pretending to be a 12-year-old girl.

His sentencing hearing at Liverpool Crown Court heard how the 40-year-old committed the offences on June 7 last year.

Officers from Cheshire Police attended the defendant’s Warrington home on July 13 with a search warrant and recovered a mobile phone.

Dempsey was arrested and the phone was examined, with officers recovering conversations from social media platform Chat Avenue.

The defendant had set up an account purporting to be a 17-year-old boy named Harvey, talking to a 12-year-old girl named Libby.

However, the Libby account was in fact being operated by an undercover police officer tasked with rooting out online predators with a sexual interest in children.

Dempsey asked what the ‘girl’ liked to wear in bed and if she liked to touch herself, before sending a topless photo of a man he claimed to be, but which in fact he had found on the internet.

He solicited images from the girl, directing her to the Whereby video chat app, and asked if she wanted to see him naked, before sending her a photo of a naked man holding his erect penis.

The police officer sent a photo of a girl wearing a school uniform, with the defendant calling her ‘cute’ and asking to see more of her ‘legs and feet’ and if she wanted to be in bed with him.

Dempsey also stated the depraved sexual activity he wished to do with the girl.

During his police interview following his arrest, the defendant confirmed that he used Chat Avenue to chat with adults.

But he denied searching for teen groups and chatting with Libby, adding that he did not recognise the username on his device.

A second interview was conducted on March 27 this year in which he confirmed that the mobile phone seized belonged to him, but he again denied chatting with Libby.

He was later charged with attempted sexual communications with a child and attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity.

The court heard that the case was aggravated by the ‘significant disparity in age’ between him and the girl and the fact that he used a fake name and age, solicited images from her and sent sexualised images to her.

The court heard in mitigation that Dempsey has no previous convictions, and that he has not committed any offences in the 17 months since the chat.

While he pleaded guilty, although not at the first opportunity, it was said that his denial during interviews was ‘through embarrassment and the judgement of his family’.

It was heard that Dempsey is now living in a caravan park after being the ‘author of his own downfall’, but he is grateful for the offer of Probation Service help to manage his risk in the community.

Before sentencing, judge Denis Watson said: “Do not ever repeat the assertion, whether for pride or otherwise, that you knew this was an adult purporting to be a 12-year-old.

“You buried your head in the sand for interview one, interview two, in the magistrates’ court and to the Probation Service.

“Your barrister has managed to persuade me that, despite these denials, I should accept that those in your position, often for reasons of pride or shame, continue with denials, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, and you are another example of that.

“For otherwise, the risks are heightened, and the prospect of rehabilitation is diminished.”

He concluded: “The sentence is capable of being suspended and, taking a broad view rather than a narrow view, there is a prospect of rehabilitation here.

“The risks can be sufficiently managed by other orders, and it is possible to suspend the sentence.

Dempsey, of Holly Bank Caravan Park near Hollins Green, was sentenced to 15 months in prison, but this term was suspended for two years.

During this time, he must complete 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days and a 12-month mental health treatment.

The court also ordered that the defendant sign the sex offender register and abide by the terms of a sexual harm prevention order, both for the next 10 years.

An order was also approved to deprive Dempsey of the mobile phone seized by police.