Midlands Father Sentenced to Prison for Snapchat Grooming Offences
A father from the Midlands has been imprisoned after being convicted of grooming an underage girl and sending explicit photographs to her via social media. Jonathan Cooper, aged 43, committed these serious sexual crimes nearly a decade ago while he was in his thirties.
Deceptive Communication and Explicit Content
Cooper deliberately misled his victim by falsely claiming he was only 19 years old before proceeding to send sexual content to the young girl. The offences, which took place in 2017, came to light when the girl's mother discovered some of the disturbing messages on her daughter's device.
Prosecutor Oliver King detailed the case in court, stating: "The defendant used Snapchat on a Samsung phone and added a girl. They exchanged many messages of a sexual nature, snaps - or photos - of each other, and the defendant sent explicit photos of himself and requested for her to send [explicit] videos."
King further explained that the mother's intervention led to the deletion of Cooper's Snapchat account. "Her mum saw some of the messages and Snapchat deleted his account. He was arrested and interviewed and denied these matters. There was grooming behaviour beforehand. The defendant was dishonest about his age and there was a significant disparity in age."
Defence Arguments and Personal Circumstances
Defence barrister David Farley highlighted Cooper's personal challenges during the sentencing hearing. "This incident has taken a toll on him in the last nine years. His wife developed fibromyalgia - a painful disorder that has flamed up in the last two years - so he is her carer and does all the household chores and looks after their eight-year-old daughter."
Farley also noted Cooper's employment history and family support. "Since 2011 he has been the assistant manager in Aldi which he loves, he is well liked and he’s a hard worker. His family support him knowing him as they do, they say he is an all-round good influence, helpful, friendly and a big part of their family. He is described by his wife’s sister as a good husband and hardworking, he is family orientated and kind."
The defence added that the case had severely impacted Cooper's mental health and that this would be his first time in custody, given his previously clean criminal record.
Court Conviction and Sentencing Details
Cooper, residing at The Avenue in Blythe Bridge, was found guilty of multiple offences including:
- Two counts of causing a child to engage in a sexual act
- Causing a child to watch a sexual act
- Engaging in sexual communications with a child
Judge Graeme Smith imposed a prison sentence of 52 months along with an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. In his remarks, Judge Smith stated: "I’m sentencing you following your conviction at trial for four offences, all arising for your communications with [a girl]. You still protest your innocence in the matter and have done throughout, you may have genuinely persuaded yourself you're innocent, however the evidence is overwhelming in relation to your guilt."
The judge emphasized the evidence against Cooper, noting: "Although police didn’t locate the Snapchat account on your phone, they found a photo of your penis on her phone and the prosecution’s case was overwhelming. The communication proceeded for a few months and it was highly sexualised communication, there was grooming behaviour, and you lied about your age and reported yourself to be 19. Still and moving images were exchanged."
This case underscores the serious consequences of online grooming and the importance of parental vigilance regarding children's social media activities.
