No jail for Snap chat predator who groomed kids

A HOBART man who used Snapchat to try to obtain and send explicit photos to underage girls has been sentenced.

In the Supreme Court of Tasmania before Justice Stephen Estcourt, Benjamin John Berry pleaded guilty to five counts of grooming with intent to procure a child for sexual abuse.

Between June and August 2019, Berry used a Snapchat social media account to contact girls aged between 13 and 16 and represented himself to be 16-20 years of age, but he was27.

The court heard he sent sexually explicit messages, in which he asked for photographs from them, sent photographs of his penis and naked torso, and requested explicit sexualacts.

He offered significant sums of money, alcohol and cannabis in exchange for sex.

On August 2,2019, the complainant told her mother about the messages she had received from Berry and the mother messaged him to arrange a meeting at a park in Chigwell where police were called.

The court heard Berry’s offending coincided with a time in his life where his abuse of drugs reached a peak level. Justice Estcourt said the use of social media and online platforms by adults to “prey on children for sexual gratification” was reprehensible.

“Young, curious, naive and malleable children are to be protected from such predatory behaviour ,” he said.

Berry was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment, wholly suspended, and he must complete 147 hours of community service.

Justice Estcourt also ordered that Berry’s name be placed on the sex offenders register for three years.