Man pleads guilty to internet grooming

[equiweb]

A man has pleaded guilty to a series of offences relating to the grooming on the internet of young girls across the UK.
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Paul Etheridge, a 24-year-old carpenter from Halesworth, Suffolk, was caught with more than 200 hundred pictures of girls aged 13 to 15 on his mobile phone.

Detectives said he had enticed the youngsters to send indecent images of themselves, often in exchange for mobile top-up vouchers.

Etheridge was caught after a 13-year-old girl from Reigate, Surrey alerted police that she had been propositioned online by a man who wanted her to make and send indecent photographs using her mobile phone camera in July last year.

Surrey Police's Paedophile On-Line Investigation Team was quickly able to trace Etheridge and he was arrested at his home on August 9.

Etheridge pleaded guilty to 26 offences when he appeared at Guildford Crown Court and a further seven remain on file.

Analysis of his computers and mobile phone revealed he had been in contact with hundreds of girls under 16 in areas across the country including Belfast, Lancashire, Norwich, London and Surrey.

Thousands of indecent images, many from web cameras, were also found on his computer.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/itn/20080125/tuk-man-pleads-guilty-to-internet-groomi-dba1618_1.html

 

[Pedantic]

So out of "hundreds" of girls only "one" alerted the police or parents, how strange, what does that say for parents and schools educating children against the dangers of phones and internet, doesn't seem a very good percentage, one out of hundreds

, or is it a sad case that parents are so wrapped up in busy work second third relationship stressed filled lives or too busy drinking smoking clubbing that the kids are only too happy to have some attention from anyone else as they dont get any from home, does pose a few questions

 

[YorksG]

While I agree that it is sad that only one girl made a complaint out of hundreds and that yes parents have a responsibility to protect their children, please do not blame the vicitms. This adult man made the decision to persuade these girls to take these photo's, he certainly knew it was wrong and illegal.

 

[Pedantic]

Blame the victims, where do I give that impression, thought it was perfectly clear what I was highlighting, which is the question, "why only one out of hundreds", alerted anyone, as far as the bloke goes you can cut his bollocks of as far as I am concerned.
I have 4 kids, two being girls, my youngest girl is well aware of the dangers on the net and I keep a sharp eye things if she seems to be a bit secretive while using such as MSN ect.

I certainly wouldn't blame the victim, thats the job of the police goverment and society in general, oh it was your own fault for leaving your window open, oh it was your own fault for leaving valuables on show in the car, oh it was your own fault you got raped because you were drunk, it's always the victims fault not the criminals, we are so busy upholding the criminals rights the victims dont have any, well not in my veiw, please dont get me me confused with the arseholes in the rest of society, I can see a lot further than the end of my nose, me blame the victims , not a chance.

 

[YorksG]

I'm sorry if I misunderstood, but the emphasis on the girls not reporting it suggests that this was what you were doing. I work with adult victims of childhood abuse and there are many reasons why they do not report this until many years later, not always to do with the parents not taking care, but many more complex reasons.