A convicted sex offender is back behind bars after admitting further offences against a teenage girl.

Connor Hayes, 25 and of no fixed abode, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Monday 26 November 2018 after pleading guilty to two counts of causing or inciting a child aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity and causing a child aged 13 to 15 to watch a sexual act. He was sentenced to a total of 21 months in prison.

He was also told he would be placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years and the previous Sexual Harm Prevention Order he was already subject to was to be extended to 2028 and amended to exclude him contacting girls aged under 16.

In December 2016 Hayes was jailed for two years after admitting to taking an indecent moving image of a child, possession of indecent images of a child and paying for the sexual services of a child. He befriended his victim in 2014 when the girl was aged over 16. Although she was over the age of consent she was aged under 18, which means it is illegal to make or possess indecent images of her. He and a second man got the girl to take part in a sex video claiming it was just for him, but subsequently uploaded it to the internet.

It was during the course of this investigation that the offences relating to the most recent convictions were discovered.

At the time of the offences Hayes was working as a webcam model selling videos and live footage of himself engaging in sexual acts.

On Wednesday 14 October 2015 Hayes’s computer was seized and examined. Messages were discovered between Hayes and the victim. They were sexual in nature and alluded to the victim being aged 15. Hayes spoke about loving the girl and getting a hotel. He also suggested that they could engage in sex for money when she was 16 or 17.

On 6 September 2015 Hayes sent a link to the victim directing her to a pornographic website. Between 30 August 2015 and 12 October 2015 there were 53 Skype video calls between Hayes and his victim.

When interviewed, the victim told officers she said Hayes first contacted her in 2014 when she was 14 years old via Facebook and then over Skype. During the Skype videos Hayes asked the victim to undress and perform sexual acts. Hayes also exposed himself to the girl.

Hayes was arrested on 29 June 2016 and subsequently charged.

Detective Constable Mandy Brimicombe, of the Integrated Missing Persons & Child Sexual Exploitation Team (IMPACT), said: “Connor Hayes targets vulnerable teenage girls for his own sexual gratification. He knew full well that his victim on this occasion was under age and that it was a serious criminal offence.

“Nationally, online child grooming offences have increased. This is as a result of more and more young people using social media, but also due to the police and other agencies becoming much better at identifying offenders.

“Many social media platforms work with the police and we regularly receive referrals directly from social media companies to investigate. However, educating young people on internet use is by far the best thing we as a society can do.

“Simple measures such as only allowing children to use devices online with a parent present and not allowing devices to be taken into the bathroom or bedroom would assist in preventing many of these offences.

“Dorset Police has continued to strengthen its response and resource capability to deal with sexual offences against children, with more officers in dedicated teams such as Child Sexual Exploitation, Child Abuse Investigation Team and Paedophile Online Investigation Team. Officers and staff receive specific training to ensure an awareness and understanding of these often complex crimes, which affect some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

“There are guides online that can assist parents and provide advice, such as regular checking of phones and devices and putting restrictions on applications that are downloaded to devices.”

For more information visit:

• Child Online Safety Advice: https://www.dorset.police.uk/help-advice-crime-prevention/crime-prevention-help-advice/cyber-crime/child-online-safety/
• NWG http://www.nwgnetwork.org/
• Barnardos http://www.barnardos.org.uk
• NSPCC 0808 800 5000, [email protected], www.nspcc.org.uk/childsexualexploitation
• National Helpline for male victims of CSE 07808 863 662
• UK safer internet centre website. www.saferinternet.org.uk
• CEOP resources suitable for parents and children of different ages: www.thinkuknow.co.uk
• Concerned about your thoughts or behaviour? Visit: www.stopitnow.org.uk
• Child Online Safety: www.internetmatters.org

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