A Hove man has been spared prison after he admitted trying to incite a 12-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity.
Trevor Cheesman, 51, of Farm Road, Hove, pleaded guilty to four offences – another of which also involved sending sexually explicit messages.
Cheesman also admitted having indecent images on his phone and a prohibited image of a child.
Ryan Richter, prosecuting, told Lewes Crown Court that Cheesman exchanged messages on the Kik messaging platform with someone he thought was a 12-year-old girl, sharing his sexual fantasies.
The fake profile had in fact been set up by West Midlands Police, Mr Richter said yesterday (Tuesday 7 March).
He told the court that Cheesman had 11 previous convictions for 21 offences although none were comparable. Most recently, Cheesman had been jailed for criminal damage and battery in 2009.
Jeffrey Lamb, defending, said: “He is deeply ashamed and embarrassed by this.”
There were 83 pages of messages, Mr Lamb said, much of them mundane. He had treated the exchanges as role play and fantasy and “he was flattered by the attention”.
The barrister added: “This is an offence that isn’t going to be repeated.”
Judge Stephen Mooney told Cheeman: “You are someone who causes me profound concern.”
The judge said that he had chosen to make contact with someone he believed to be a young girl – and had indecent images on his phone.
After hearing mitigation from Mr Lamb, Judge Mooney sentenced Cheesman to two years in prison suspended for 18 months.
He ordered Cheesman to attend 15 rehab sessions and up to 35 days of a “Horizon-accredited programme” intended to tackle sex offending.
Judge Mooney said: “The approach that I’m taking with you is designed to protect the public and that can better be achieved if you can be helped to understand and change your behaviour.
“And if you don’t, then you will go to prison for a very long time.
“You have come as close as it is possible to come to going to prison again. You need to take a long hard look at yourself.”
The judge said that Cheesman should register as a sex offender for 10 years and imposed a “sexual harm prevention order” for the same period.
He ordered the fortfeiture and destruction of Cheesman’s phone and computer and ordered him to pay a victim surcharge of £149.
