Sex offender who continued messaging children whilst on bail is now behind bars

A man from Matlock who sent sexually explicit messages to accounts he believed belonged to children whilst on police bail has been jailed.

Stephen Blackwell began messaging a 10-year-old girl on Tiktok, initially telling her he was a 17-year-old boy who lived in London. He then admitted he had lied about his age and repeatedly sent her photos and videos, asking her to send him images in return.

The girl’s mum then found the messages on her phone and contacted police.

Blackwell was arrested and released on bail while investigations continued.

While on bail, he began messaging people he believed to be 14-year-old girls. They actually turned out to be decoy accounts run by an online child activist group.

Blackwell sent numerous explicit videos and also asked the girls to carry out acts on themselves.

The 46-year-old was arrested and subsequently charged with engaging in sexual communication with a child, causing a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, causing a child under 13 to watch/look at an image of sexual activity and attempting to cause a child aged 13 to 15 to watch/look at an image of sexual activity.

He denied the offences but was found guilty after a trial at Derby Crown Court.

He has now been jailed for 11 years and three months with the judge handing him an extended sentence to recognise the danger he posed.

He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and was placed on the sex offenders register.

Temporary Detective Constable Samantha Bramley and Detective Constable Sarah North, who led the investigation, said: “Blackwell’s behaviour in persistently seeking sexual gratification from children and the fact he continued to offend despite being on bail shows what a dangerous individual he is.

“He has shown no regard for the law and by denying these offences he has also shown that he has no real grasp that what he was doing was wrong. There is no doubt that he would have continued to commit offences if he had not been sent to prison.

“It is pleasing therefore that he is now behind bars and the judge acknowledged the threat he poses by imposing an extended sentence of imprisonment.”