Child 'predator' who used fake profiles jailed

Thomas Hall used a number of fake profiles to communicate with children, Manchester Crown Court heard

A "predator" who used fake profiles to communicate with children and engage in sexual activity with them has been jailed for 11 years.

Thomas Hall, 34, of Salford, previously admitted four counts of engaging in sexual communications with a child and four counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

He also admitted three counts of making indecent images of a child, a count of facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image of bestiality, Manchester Crown Court heard.

Following sentencing on Thursday, Det Con Peter Taylor said: “Hall is a predator, he is manipulative, and used his age and experience to prey on young girls."

Hall was sentenced to 11 years in jail with three years on extended licence.

An investigation by Cheshire Police showed Hall had been communicating with children using a number of pseudonyms, including posing as a woman called ‘Alex’ and a teenage boy called ‘Jack’.

The court heard Hall had exploited his victims, telling them fake stories to persuade them to send him indecent images.

An investigation by Cheshire Police began in November 2020 when officers received reports that a 12-year-old girl from York was engaging in sexual communications with a man in east Cheshire via a messaging app.

The investigation linked Hall to the offences and police found more than 30 indecent images of children and 30 indecent videos on mobile phones and electronic devices seized from his former home in Cheshire.

Officers also found seven extreme pornographic images and videos, and one bestiality video.

'Warn children'

He was ordered to sign the sexual offenders’ register and to comply with a sexual harm prevention order for life.

Det Con Taylor, who led the investigation, added Hall had "shown no regard for his victims and no remorse for his actions".

He said Hall's offending only came to an end when he was arrested.

“While none of the victims will ever be able to forget what happened to them, I hope that Hall’s conviction and the sentence handed to him will provide them with some closure," he added.

Det Con Taylor urged parents and carers to warn their children of the dangers of communicating with people via social media and to check they were using those applications safely.