Man sentenced for attempted sexual offences with a child
54 year old Simon Gale from the village of Gastard admitted the offences last month
A man from Gastard has been handed a 20 month suspended sentence - and told to sign the sex offenders register - after messaging an underage decoy on social media.
54 year old Simon Gale admitted attempted sexual communication with a child and trying to incite a child to engage in sexual activity at Swindon Crown Court.
It follows a series of messages between December 2021 and September 2022.
Wiltshire Police confirmed: "Simon Gale, 54, of Gastard, appeared at Swindon Crown Court on September 13 after admitting attempted sexual communication with a child and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.
"He was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment, suspended for two years. He is also required to do 200 hours of unpaid work, 30 days of rehabilitation activity, and pay a surcharge of £156.
"He will also be on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.
"Between December 2021 and September 2022, Gale messaged an online decoy who he believed to be a 14-year-old child, turning the conversation sexual.
"He was arrested and charged after being reported to police."
If you are concerned about your own use of the internet or inappropriate thoughts or behaviour about children, please seek help from support agencies.
If you suspect a person of carrying out child sexual exploitation, or think someone you know has been a victim, or may be soon, visit the How to Report child abuse page or call our non-emergency number, 101.
If you have a hearing or speech impairment, use our textphone service on 18001 101.