Builder caught trying to contact teen girl given suspended sentence

An Essex builder who was arrested after he had a sexual conversation with an undercover officer posing as a schoolgirl has been given a suspended prison sentence.

During conversations with the officer, who was posing as a 13-year-old girl called ‘Alice’ on the Kik Messenger app, Scott Cross sent her an explicit picture and encouraged her to masturbate and to send him a picture of herself, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Cross, 35, of Talisman Walk, Tiptree, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to cause or incite a child to watch or commit a sexual act.

In addition to being given a two year prison sentence suspended two years, he was given a 35-day rehabilitation requirement and ordered to do 300 hours' unpaid work.

He was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and ordered to sign the sexual offenders’ register for the same period.

He was ordered to pay £750 costs.

The court heard that Cross had committed the offences in October last year after relapsing into cocaine and alcohol use.

Stephen Page, for Cross, said his client was the father of a three-month-old baby and his partner was a nurse.

He said Cross was remorseful and was no longer drinking or using drugs and had sought help from the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.