Cormac Tees appeared at Bath Magistrates' Court on Monday, 28 September, to be sentenced for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to incite a boy aged 13 to 15 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity.
The court heard that in February of this year, Tees contacted an individual online who claimed to be a 14-year-old boy. Unbeknownst to him, the ‘boy’ was actually an undercover police officer.
Tees sent explicit messages to the officer, inviting him to masturbate together on camera and also sent a photograph of his penis. At the time of the offences, Tees was 21 years old.
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Prosecutor Michael Collins stated, “He knew exactly who he was targeting and what he was doing.”
Tees, of Bath Road, Saltford, later refused to provide police with the PIN for his phone, which impeded the investigation.
Defence counsel Micia Rigby explained that Tees had a brain injury resulting from a traumatic birth and had exhibited emotional distress when discussing his actions. She said, “He recognises now that it was wrong but did not fully appreciate it at the time.”
Ms Rigby also noted that Tees pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity, has autism and a learning disability, and has a history of substance use including crystal meth, ketamine, and struggles with alcohol. It was also disclosed that Tees was a victim of sexual abuse himself.
Sentencing, the magistrate described the case as “quite sad,” recognising Tees’s brain injury but emphasised the seriousness of the offences against a vulnerable individual, stating, “We cannot allow that behaviour to take place or continue.”
Tees was handed an 18-month community order, a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, 10 days of rehabilitation activity requirements, and a nine-month drug rehabilitation order. Additionally, he must pay a court surcharge of £114 and prosecution costs of £85.