Man who tried to get '12-year-old girl' to engage in sexual activity jailed
A Trowbridge man has been jailed for five years for sexual communication with children.
Gary Palmer, 42, of The Halve, pleaded guilty to nine counts of inciting a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity and one count of sexual communication with a child.
Between 21 September and 18 October last year, Palmer engaged in conversation online with what he thought was a young girl.
He spoke in detail about sexual activity he wanted to carry out on the girl, who he believed to be just 12 years old.
He then instructed her to carry out a sexual act on herself. During his communication with the profile, Palmer also sent videos of himself performing sexual acts.
During the investigation, there was never a real-life victim and no children were ever in any danger.
He was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on 21 December.
As well as his prison sentence, Palmer will also be subject to a sexual harm prevention order.
Detective Constable Julia Vince said: “We often work in conjunction with other agencies, such as the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit, to both protect children and ensure offenders are identified and arrested.
“The work we do undoubtedly prevents offenders like Palmer from going on and abusing vulnerable children and I hope this case sends a strong message to our communities that we are committed to targeting serious offenders who have the potential to cause serious and significant harm.
“We would urge anyone who has concerns that a child they know may be being abused or exploited, to report this to the police.”
Detective Inspector David Wells from the SWROCU’s Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Online team said: “Palmer clearly posed a serious risk to children, persistently communicating with what he believed was a young girl online.
“This is a vital area of work for our unit, working closely with our regional forces, to target offenders operating online to exploit and abuse children.
“Law enforcement agencies are across the internet determined to ensure they don’t succeed. It is vital parents and children themselves take steps to protect against the threat.”