A 68-year-old man from Larne, County Antrim, has been convicted of attempting to sexually communicate with a child after engaging in explicit online conversations with an individual he believed to be a 14-year-old girl. The man, Stephen Ford Hutchinson, sent sexually explicit messages, a photograph of his genitals, and a video of himself performing a sex act to the decoy. The decoy was part of a sting operation conducted by the group Child Online Protection Enforcers NI. Hutchinson's defence included claims of being a "digital soldier" combating child exploitation, but these were dismissed by the court. He has been placed on the sex offenders register, and sentencing is pending. (sundayworld.com)
In a separate case, a 52-year-old man from Belfast, Ronald Alexander Hoy, avoided imprisonment after participating in online sexual chats with a decoy posing as a schoolgirl. Hoy sent inappropriate photographs of himself and requested similar images from the decoy. He pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child and was sentenced to three years probation, a five-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO), and placed on the sex offenders register for five years. The court noted that while immediate custody was justified, probation and the SOPO were deemed more appropriate to manage the risk posed by Hoy. (itv.com)
Additionally, a 76-year-old former missionary from County Antrim, David Harper, breached his Sexual Offences Prevention Order by downloading the 'X' app (formerly Twitter) without prior approval. Harper had previously been convicted of multiple sexual offences, including attempted sexual communication with a child and possession of indecent images. He received a three-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, for the breach. (northernirelandworld.com)
These cases highlight ongoing efforts to monitor and enforce Sexual Offences Prevention Orders in Northern Ireland, aiming to prevent reoffending among individuals convicted of sexual offences.
Source: Noah Wire Services