A 66-YEAR-OLD man from Herbrandston has been sentenced to 27 months in prison after he was caught attempting to groom what he believed was a 12-year-old girl online.

Paul Chesher, who had no prior convictions, was apprehended after engaging in explicit conversations with an undercover police officer posing as a schoolgirl named ‘Ellie’ on the social media platform Kik.

The exchanges began on 31 August 2021, when Chesher initiated contact with ‘Ellie’ and soon began making inappropriate requests. Prosecutor Regan Walters revealed that Chesher repeatedly asked the decoy to send him explicit images, instructing her to “sneak to the bathroom” while at school and photograph herself. Chesher also sent images of his own face and admitted to the decoy that he was 56 years old.

Despite recognising the illegal nature of his actions—regularly commenting that ‘Ellie’ was “too young” and acknowledging that he “could go to jail”—Chesher continued his predatory behaviour. He requested details about her underwear, enquired about her sexual experiences, and even directed the decoy to perform explicit acts and film them.

Police tracked Chesher down using his email and IP address, leading to his arrest at his home on 22 October 2021. After a delay in bringing the case to court, partly due to the time taken to analyse electronic devices and secure data from the United States-based Kik platform, Chesher pleaded guilty to charges of attempted sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity.

In mitigation, Chesher’s defence highlighted his medical issues and the loneliness he experienced at the time of the offences. However, Judge Geraint Walters, presiding over the case, rejected these excuses, stating that Chesher’s actions were persistent and deliberate. “This wasn’t a momentary lapse in judgement, it was a persistent one,” the judge said. “You knew full well what the consequences of this were to be.”

In addition to his prison sentence, Chesher must register as a sex offender for 10 years and is subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same period.

Detective Constable Paul Kelly of Dyfed Powys Police praised the successful outcome of the case, stating: “This sentence and the investigation itself demonstrated excellent collaborative working between police agencies. It sends a clear message to perpetrators that crime against children is abhorrent, and that we as police will find the perpetrators and seek justice for the children involved.”

Detective Constable Isaac Gott of the Tarian Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) echoed these sentiments, adding: “Our ROCU is dedicated to identifying individuals who have a sexual interest in children, and we will relentlessly pursue them.”

Chesher’s conviction serves as a stark reminder of the dangers that children face online and the ongoing efforts by law enforcement to protect them from harm.