Sentenced: Herefordshire man who told schoolgirl she looked sexy

Ryan Preece appeared before magistrates in Hereford for sentencing in March after entering a guilty plea to one count of engaging in sexual communication with a child at an earlier hearing.

Preece, who had been 19 at the time of the offence, had been speaking to the victim, a girl in her early teens, on social media between November 19, 2020, and January 26, 2021, prosecutor Eleanor Peart said at his initial hearing.

Their conversations were reported after they were discovered by a family member of the victim, who took pictures of them.

It had been sexual, with Preece asking the victim if she was a virgin and about her kinks, and telling her she looked "sexy" in her uniform.

"He started to clear the messages when her mother found out," Miss Peart said.

In police interview, Preece admitted sending the messages but said it had been a joke and that he did not know it was illegal.

Emma Thorne, for Preece, said that the 21-year-old is a man of previous good character and asked for a pre-sentencing report to be carried out by the probation service.

OTHER NEWS:

• Hereford man went on shopping spree after finding stolen card
• Hereford site manager Gary Godsall jailed over indecent child pictures
• Armed police called to threats of 'significant harm' to baby in Hereford

The case was adjourned for a pre-sentencing report to be completed and Preece, of Fairview in Garway, Herefordshire, was released on unconditional bail with a requirement to register with police within three days.

He appeared back before magistrates in Hereford for sentencing on March 28, where he was handed a two-year community order and placed on the sex offender register for five years.

He was also handed a five-year sexual harm prevention order which bans him from using any device capable of accessing the internet unless he has notified police within three days of acquiring it, and it is capable of retaining history and available for police inspection on request.

He is also banned from interfering with or bypassing the normal running of computer monitoring software, using or activating any software which prevents a device from retaining and displaying the history of internet use, and using USB stick or cloud storage without notifying police within three days of the account’s creation and making it available for inspection on request.

He is further banned from installing encryption or wiping software, and having any contact with any person he knows or believes to be under 18 unless not reasonably avoidable or with the supervision of an adult approved by social services.