Attempted sexual communication with a child.

Judge Condemns Unsolicited "D*** Pics" in Case Against Man Convicted of Attempted Sexual Communication With Children

A judge expressed her disgust at the practice of sending unsolicited explicit images to women, highlighting the harmful impact on victims' self-esteem, during the sentencing of a man found guilty of engaging in sexually explicit conversations with what he believed to be underage girls.

William Sykes, 54, was convicted of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child after sending an image of his genitalia to a decoy account, which he believed belonged to a 14-year-old girl. He also exchanged messages with another decoy account, allegedly belonging to a 12-year-old, in which he used sexually suggestive language.

Sentencing Sykes, Recorder Samantha Presland pointed out the pervasiveness of unsolicited explicit images sent to women, commenting sarcastically, "Do you think that mobile phones having cameras on them is a curse?" She emphasized the negative impact of such actions, stating that they "kill" young women's self-esteem and make them feel like objects.

Prosecutor Matthew Knight revealed that Sykes had met the older decoy on a web app before continuing the conversation on WhatsApp. The messages included sexually explicit references, culminating in Sykes sending a picture of his penis to the decoy.

The "girls" involved in the conversations were, in reality, adult members of paedophile hunter groups – The Ghosts and Elite Solo Decoys. They had set up the decoy accounts to expose individuals like Sykes who prey on children online.

Sykes, who suffers from alcoholism and learning difficulties, was confronted by the paedophile hunters in a video that was streamed live online. Mr Knight acknowledged that Sykes had difficulty understanding what was being said during the confrontation.

Sykes pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted sexual communication with a child in March. In mitigation, Bethan Chichester highlighted his struggle with alcohol addiction, stating that he had reduced his daily consumption from 24 cans to five or six cans.

Sykes was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment, suspended for a year and a half, and was also given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. He will be on the sex offender register for a decade.