Marc Oakley

A 44-year-old man from the Seaham area in County Durham was sentenced at Teesside Crown Court for attempting to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex, only to discover that the person he had been communicating with was an undercover police officer.

The case came to light in April 2024 when Marc Oakley initiated contact with the decoy on the Whisper social media app, followed by conversations on WhatsApp. Despite being informed of the girl's age from the outset, Oakley proceeded with sexual exchanges, requesting photographs after sending a shirtless image of himself. Jonathan Gittins, prosecuting, told the court: 'He said to her that he was probably older than her dad and she was getting him into a lot of trouble.' The conversation quickly turned explicit, leading Oakley to arrange a meeting at Dalton Park shopping outlet in County Durham.

Upon arriving at the location, Oakley was arrested by Durham Constabulary officers. He attempted to destroy his mobile phone during the arrest. Oakley, who has no fixed abode but was formerly from Seaham, pleaded guilty to attempting to facilitate the commission of an offence of sexual activity with a child and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Judge Jonathan Carroll acknowledged the seriousness of the offences, stating: 'There clearly is some element of distorted thinking, dangerous thinking, child sex thinking which has put you in this position.' He noted that the custody threshold had been crossed and that the public would be outraged without a prison sentence hanging over Oakley's head. The judge added: 'Your stupidity has caused your life to fall apart. You are separated from your partner and children – I understand why that is necessary, but I accept it has devastating consequences for you.'

In mitigation, Joe Culley highlighted that Oakley had lost his relationship and access to his children as a result of the conviction. The court imposed a two-year custodial sentence, suspended for 18 months, along with 25 days of rehabilitation activity, 100 hours of unpaid work, and a three-month curfew from 7pm to 7am. Oakley was also subjected to a ten-year sexual harm prevention order and required to register on the sex offenders' register for the same period.