Abuser lured teen into sex act
Man used fake social media profile
A MAN in his 30s used a fake Facebook profile of a teenage girl to lure a schoolboy into sexual activity with him.
After tricking the boy into a meeting Simon Fuge then spent weeks buying him gifts – including sweets and a trip to the cinema – before performing a sex act on him.
The alarm was raised when a friend of the boy became aware he had spent the night at Fuge’s house and told a teacher about his concerns.
Children’s charity NSPCC Cymru has said the case highlighted the way sexual predators “move between the digital realm and the real world” to abuse their victims.
Swansea Crown Court heard the schoolboy met someone called Danni, who appeared to be a girl aged between 16 and 18, on Facebook and the pair began chatting via the Messenger service. After a while they agreed to meet but Danni did not turn up for the rendezvous.
Robin Rouch, prosecuting, said Danni then got in touch with the 14-year-old boy and told him her friend Simon lived nearby and he could go there to wait for her.
The court heard the boy went to 37-year-old Fuge’s house and the defendant pretended to be a friend of Danni. The pair spent the afternoon playing computer games to pass the time until the boy’s date arrived – but she never did.
Fuge and the boy exchanged contact details and over the following weeks began communicating on Snapchat. They also met a number of times, usually to play computer games, but on one occasion they went to the cinema while on another they went shopping in Swansea when the defendant bought the boy a new coat.
The prosecutor said Fuge then began making sexual suggestions to the boy and on one occasion pretended to be receiving text messages from his “friend” Danni which said she would like to see a video of them perform sex acts together.
The court heard that all the while Fuge also continued messaging the boy on Facebook as Danni and maintained the pretence that she wanted a relationship with him.
On two occasions while they were alone Fuge performed a sex act on the boy.
The defendant’s activities came to light after the boy spent a night at his house and was given alcohol to drink.
No sexual activity took place on that occasion but he mentioned the sleepover to a school friend who then told a teacher.
The court heard Fuge was arrested at the house he shared with his mother and initially denied there had been any sexual contact with the boy.
After requesting information from Facebook the police were able to identity the computer used to post to the “Danni” account and it was linked to Fuge’s postcode.
With the help of internet provider Sky police were then able to identify the wi-fi router used at the relevant times.
Mr Rouch said Fuge’s communications with the boy on Snapchat were no longer able to be viewed but they checked the “Danni” Facebook profile and found it had also been used to contact other individuals and not just the victim in the case.
Fuge, of Marine Street, Llanelli, admitted two counts of inciting a child to engage in penetrative sexual activity.
In an impact statement read to the court his young victim said he had not been himself since his encounter with Fuge, adding that he socialised with friends less and was wary of communicating with people online.
John Hipkin, for Fuge, said there seemed to be a “vulnerability to the defendant”.
The barrister said his client had a complicated relationship with a church he was involved in and had struggled with his sexuality.
Fuge was jailed for a total of four-and-a-half years. He will serve half that time in custody before being released on licence.
Fuge was also made the subject of a lifelong sexual harm prevention order to control his internet use and his access to children and will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life.
Speaking after the sentencing, a spokesman for NSPCC Cymru said: “This case highlights once again how predators like Fuge move between the digital realm and the real world using contacts made online as a gateway to committing sickening sexual abuse against children. Fuge’s sentence means he will now be unable harm others while he is behind bars and it is vital his victim is given support to overcome what happened to him.”