Jean-Paul Sterckx, a 49-year-old man from Cardiff, Wales, was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). This incident occurred in 2022, following his previous conviction in 2015 for inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and possessing indecent images, for which he had been imprisoned for 15 months.
Sterckx, residing on Watkiss Way in Grangetown, Cardiff, used the Kik and Snapchat applications to contact individuals he believed to be 13-year-old girls, but who were actually undercover officers from the Metropolitan Police. In these conversations, he expressed desires for sexual intercourse, sent photographs of himself in his underwear and exposing his groin while wearing workman's trousers, and posed explicit questions. For instance, he asked one decoy, 'Are you into naughty fun?' and requested images of her in underwear, inquiring about her most 'naughty' experiences and masturbation habits.
- With the first decoy, Sterckx sent an image of himself in underwear and asked sexualised questions before attempting a video call.
- To the second decoy, he inquired if she 'spoke dirty', enjoyed 'flirting' with older men, was 'into pics', and if she was 'still a V' (meaning a virgin).
- Interactions with the third decoy involved requests for photographs and further sexualised dialogue.
Upon his arrest, Sterckx remarked to officers, 'This is going to kill my father,' and told his children, 'Sorry, I've done it again, you'll have to be strong for each other.' He later claimed to police that his phone had been hacked. Despite the SHPO requiring device monitoring, Sterckx had violated its terms by engaging in these prohibited communications.
Prosecutor Alex Greenwood detailed the explicit nature of the exchanges during the sentencing hearing on Monday. In mitigation, defence counsel Martha Smith-Higgins described Sterckx as 'thoroughly ashamed' and a 'hard working and caring man' who had established his own maintenance company. Recorder Christopher Felstead imposed a 20-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, along with an accredited programme requirement, 150 hours of unpaid work, a 10-year SHPO, and costs exceeding £1,300.
The case was reported by Wales Online, with court reporting by Philip Dewey, highlighting Sterckx's repeated offending behaviour and the role of undercover operations in preventing child sexual exploitation.