A paedophile who believed he was having a sexual conversation with a 12-year-old girl asked her to send indecent images and footage of her mother.
Sickening details of vile messages from Brian Doddsworth were read out as he was sentenced on Tuesday for sex offences with a child. Doddsworth was unaware he was sending messages to an adult volunteer from Cobra, an online child protection group.
The 52-year-old sent graphic pictures of himself and asked the girl - Tilly - to send pictures of herself. Omar Ahmad, prosecuting at Teesside Crown Court, said he contacted the decoy on a social media platform calling himself ‘Barry18’.
The court heard Doddsworth gave his age as 18 and was told by the decoy she was 12. Mr Ahmad said: “It should be noted the defendants' actual age is 52. There was a no child in this case. He was communicating with a decoy.”
Doddsworth sent a series of disturbing messages relating to her ‘mother’ and asked for pictures of her. The decoy told him her school had told her never to send pictures of herself to people, but he replied: “No one will know if you don’t say.”
He sent her photographs of a boy he claimed to be and asked for her mother’s number. Doddsworth began communicating with another decoy who posed as the mother and he sent more explicit pictures and sexualised messages.
He eventually was persuaded to send his address which led to three male members of the group attending to confront him, closely followed by police officers and he was arrested. Mr Ahmad said: “His mobile phone was downloaded and it contained evidence of conversations with the decoy.”
Doddsworth pleaded guilty to two sex offences: attempting the incite sexual activity with a child and an attempt to engage in sexual communication with a child. The offences took place from March 1 to 10, last year.
Lost job, relationship and home
Mitigating, Alisha Marsay said: “There was no attempt to meet any children during that communication. I would suggest that there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation in this case. There is a low risk of Mr Doddsworth reoffending."
Mr Marsay said the offences were committed during a low point in Doddsworth’s life when his partner became ill and he resorted to drinking heavily and taking cocaine. She said his arrest has cost him his job, his relationship, and his home.
Ms Marsay said: "Since these offences his property has been damaged by members of the public as he has become a target. His own family, including his mother, have disowned him.
"He has no friends or family as a result of this incident, other than one person who he is residing with and his ex-partner. When asked about these offences Mr Doddsworth said he is disgusted with himself and that it has not just affected him but everyone around him, for which demonstrates remorse.”
Recorder of Middlesbrough, Judge Francis Laird, sentenced him, to a total of two years in prison and told him he would serve half in custody and the rest in the community. Doddsworth, of Barden Moor Road, Darlington, will be the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and sign the sex offenders’ register for ten years.
The judge said: “You are 52 years of age. There is no child victim in this case. You in fact were communicating with a decoy, an adult woman, who works with an online child protection group. She indicated she was a 12-year-old girl.
“Over the course of a week you communicated with ‘Tilly’ and a person you believed to be Tilly’s mother. Your communication was sexual.”
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