A sex offender, Steven Ogilvie, apprehended for attempting to groom a 13-year-old girl online sexually, was reprimanded by a judge for refusing to acknowledge his attraction to minors. Steven Ogilvie engaged in a dialogue with a youthful individual on the Chat Avenue platform, discussing topics such as showering unclothed and visiting a nudist beach.
However, Steven Ogilvie was conversing with an undercover police officer. A 55-year-old individual from Chester Road North, Sutton Coldfield, confessed to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a minor but was granted leniency from incarceration, largely due to the incident occurring in 2018 and his lack of subsequent offences. He received a three-year community order at Birmingham Crown Court.
Steven Ogilvie had told probation officers he was not attracted to children and had not intended to speak to a child. But Judge Richard Bond told him: “I totally reject what you say, of course you are attracted to children what else were you doing?
“Adults mainly go onto such websites for one reason alone; to attain some form of sexual satisfaction talking to underage children. You probably can’t even admit to yourself you are attracted to children but when you hear the circumstances of this case you clearly are.”
Steven Ogilvie had started talking to the decoy profile on January 9, 2018. Oliver Wellings, prosecuting, said of the Chat Avenue website: “It is a chat facility for teenagers looking for online conversations. It is not just the target audience but also predatory paedophiles who congregate on such sites.”
Steven Ogilvie began asking the ‘girl’ about her background before he switched the topic to dating and ‘phone sex’. He made jokes about being old enough to be her father before suggesting they should shower naked together and go to a nudist beach.
Mr Wellings added: “It would appear at that point, by this stage it had been going on for some days, the defendant got cold feet and became concerned. He began asking her for photos trying to establish whether she was real.”
He told the court so-called paedophile-hunters had previously caught out Steven Ogilvie for almost identical behaviour before the offence was created in law. Ben Close, defending, emphasised the latest offence spanned three days and happened five years ago. He said: “It is encouraging to see in the pre-sentence report he has remained faithful to his plea.
“He describes a challenging time in his life involving separation, loneliness, and mental health difficulties. The picture painted is an all-too-familiar one of someone who spent too much time at home on their computer seeking an outlet and falling back into abusing the internet in the way he did.”
Steven Ogilvie must be assed for a sexual offenders’ treatment programme, complete 60 days of rehabilitation activity and adhere to police notification requirements for five years. Judge Bond told him: “It is you who turns the conversation away from innocuous matters. It becomes highly sexualised at your instigation.
“When you say you are not attracted to children, why are you talking about being in the shower with a 13-year-old girl? That’s because that’s what you wanted in your dreams.”
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 111 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.