Man sentenced for engaging teen in sexual activity

The victim grew concerned about what Pearson would do with the explicit photographs he had of her

A man has been given a 22-month suspended prison sentence after encouraging a 14-year-old girl to send him sexually explicit images of herself.

Kane Pearson, of Brockworth, Gloucestershire, befriended the girl on Instagram in August 2023 after she mistook him for someone she knew, Gloucester Crown Court was told.

The pair exchanged sexually explicit images before the 21-year-old began to assert that she was now his girlfriend and tried to pressure her into meeting.

The victim's parents told the court their young daughter had "lost her self-confidence and feels shame and humiliation" following Pearson's coercion.

Their conversations were discovered after the victim's friend confided in her own mother, who told the victim's mother about the exchanges.

Pearson was given a 22-month suspended prison sentence at Gloucester Crown Court

Appearing at Gloucester Crown Court on 26 February, Pearson was given a 22-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

He was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years and was put on the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years.

A five-year restraining order was put in place and he was also ordered to pay £4,760 in compensation to the victim.

'Worst nightmare'

During the sentencing hearing, the victim's mother read a personal statement to the court.

In it, she said: "As parents our world was turned upside down when we discovered what had been happening to our daughter.

"We have always thought that we had enough safety measures in place to prevent this type of crime from happening in our home but we were wrong.

"Our home is a place of love and support and to think that our daughter was targeted in such a way in a place where she should be safe and secure, and where we believed she was safe, has been heart-breaking for us.

"We have watched our daughter go from a young 13-year-old enjoying being with her friends and settling into life at secondary school to one who has lost her self-confidence and feels shame and humiliation.

"She has suffered and continues to suffer sleepless nights, nightmares and panic attacks. She is fearful of being alone and she carries a deep sense of shame.

"I often think about what could have happened if we had not intercepted this when we did. This continues to play on my mind and keep me awake at night.

"This has been one of a parent's worst nightmares."