A Stockton man who groomed a 14-year-old girl on Snapchat and encouraged her to send intimate images of herself has been sentenced at court.

Wesley Twizell, 20, of Bedford Street, Stockton, communicated with the schoolgirl over a period of months, despite knowing she was underage. The case was heard at Middlesbrough Magistrates’ Court following an earlier appearance at Teesside Magistrates’ Court where he admitted a series of sexual offences.

Mother uncovered Snapchat grooming

Prosecutor Ian Martin told the court that Twizell’s behaviour only came to light when the girl’s mother became aware of what was happening and contacted the authorities. By that stage, the teenager had already been drawn into sending him intimate images via Snapchat.

The court heard that Twizell was fully aware of the girl’s age and continued to exchange messages and images with her. The girl later told police she had sent him pictures of herself in her underwear after being encouraged to do so.

During the conversations, Twizell also told the child that he “wanted to do sexual stuff with her”, the prosecutor said, describing the messages as part of a pattern of grooming and sexualised communication.

Indecent images and extreme pornography found

When officers seized and examined Twizell’s devices, they discovered a number of indecent images of a child. The court was told that he had four category C images of a child, which related to the same period as the Snapchat offending.

In addition, investigators uncovered six extreme pornographic images depicting a person performing sexual acts with animals. The images involved a dog and a chicken and were created between March 31 and September 28 of last year.

The child-related offences were said to have taken place in Stockton between 1 August and 18 January, while the extreme pornography offences covered a separate timeframe later in the year.

Charges admitted in court

Twizell previously appeared before Teesside Magistrates’ Court where he entered guilty pleas to a number of offences. These included:

• Inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity, namely encouraging the sending of intimate images.
• Making indecent photographs of a child, relating to four category C images.
• Possessing extreme pornographic images portraying acts of intercourse with a dog and a chicken.

All of the child-related offences were committed in Stockton during the same period, while the extreme pornography offences were recorded over several months later in the year.

Community order and safeguarding measures

Twizell returned to Middlesbrough Magistrates’ Court for sentencing after the preparation of a pre-sentence report. Magistrates opted not to impose an immediate custodial sentence and instead handed him a community order with 55 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

The court also imposed a series of safeguarding measures. Twizell will be subject to notification requirements for five years, meaning he must register his details with police and keep them updated.

In addition, a 12-month Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) was made. The order places restrictions on his behaviour, including his use of the internet and digital devices, and is designed to reduce the risk of further sexual offending.

The bench warned Twizell that any breach of the community order, notification requirements or SHPO could see him brought back before the court and potentially jailed.