A former trainee police officer has been jailed for grooming as many as 100 ladies, as younger as 9, by sending sexual messages and express photographs of himself on-line.
The disgraced scholar officer additionally requested footage from the women by way of TikTok, and was discovered with greater than 1,200 indecent photographs and movies of youngsters.
Jason Hicks, 31, was sentenced to 4 years in jail with a 3 12 months prolonged licence, placed on the intercourse offenders’ register and made topic of a sexual hurt prevention order which can allow the police to watch his on-line exercise for ten years.
He was caught after the mom of a nine-year-old woman in Wiltshire discovered his messages on her daughter’s cellphone and reported them to the police, who finally realised they’d come from Hicks.
The offences have been uncovered whereas Hicks was in coaching to be a Devon and Cornwall Police officer.
Jason Hicks, 31, requested footage from the women by way of TikTok, and was discovered with greater than 1,200 indecent photographs and movies of youngsters
He was instantly arrested and suspended and subsequently dismissed with out discover.
Officers discovered greater than 1,200 indecent photographs and movies of youngsters on his laptop computer, iPad and different digital units seized when a warrant was carried out at his house.
Hicks approached roughly 100 ladies all around the world on TikTok whereas claiming to be a 17 or 18-year-oldsixth former.
Hicks chosen his victims from TikTok however then moved their conversations onto Snapchat earlier than he used ‘reality or dare’ video games to encourage them to strip off and contact themselves.
The ladies included a 13-year-old from America who he requested to movie herself and two eleven-year-olds from Sweden who he requested to ship nude or semi-nude photographs.
He used Snapchat as a result of their postings delete mechanically. This meant police solely recovered a fraction of the 100 contacts which Hicks admitted after his arrest.
A spokesperson from Snapchat informed the MailOnline: ‘Any sexual abuse of youngsters is abhorrent and unlawful and we’ve got devoted groups world wide working carefully with the police, consultants and business companions to fight it.
‘If we proactively detect or are made conscious of any sexual content material exploiting minors, we instantly take away it, lock the account, and report the offender to authorities.
‘We even have additional protections in place for youthful customers that make it tough for teenagers to be found and contacted by strangers.’
A Choose at Exeter Crown Courtruled that he was a harmful offender whose launch must becontrolled by the parole board
Hicks admitted all the things in interview and informed colleagues had been sexually interested in youngsters since he was a youngster however he was disgusted by his personal actions.
Hicks, of Bishopsteignton, Devonfully admitted offences relationship again to 2012 in his first police interview – telling detectives he felt relieved to have been caught.
He pleaded responsible to a complete of 13 fees and was sentenced at Exeter Crown Courtroom on Thursday.
A psychiatric report concluded that he had a compulsive sexual behaviour dysfunction and was affected by melancholy.
A Choose at Exeter Crown Courtroom dominated that he was a harmful offender whose launch must be managed by the parole board.
Hicks admitted partaking in sexual communication with a baby – a nine-year-old woman from the South West – and inciting her to interact in sexual exercise between March and April 2021.
He had befriended the woman on-line by posing as an older teenager on TikTok earlier than shifting onto Snapchat and exchanging sexually express messages along with her.
The kid’s mother and father found she had been speaking with an grownup male and contacted police of their space.
Enquiries later led officers to Hicks who was nonetheless in coaching and had not but carried out any public-facing, frontline duties.
Devon and Cornwall Police’s Paedophile On-line Investigation Crew and Skilled Requirements Division urgently deliberate and executed a warrant at Hicks’s house on 20 January 2022.
He had befriended the woman on-line by posing as an older teenager on TikTok earlier than shifting onto Snapchat and exchanging sexually express messages along with her
He was dismissed with out discover following fast-tracked misconduct proceedings in February 2022 and has been positioned on the School of Policing Barred Record.
Hicks was convicted of an extra 4 counts of making an attempt to interact in sexual communication with youngsters and one other 4 of making an attempt to incite them to interact in sexual exercise
He exchanged sexual Snapchat messages with 4 youngsters he believed have been aged between 11 and 13 between December 2021 and January 2022.
The victims have by no means been recognized regardless of the perfect efforts of investigating officers. Evaluation linked their IP addresses to the USA, Sweden and the Yorkshire space.
Hicks additionally pleaded responsible to 3 fees of creating indecent images of youngsters between September 2012 and January 2022.
The photographs and movies discovered on his units concerned youngsters as younger as eight and included 127 in probably the most extreme ‘Class A’.
Hicks was additionally issued with a ten-year Sexual Hurt Prevention Order and the decide ordered the destruction of his digital units.
He’ll serve three years on licence if he’s deemed secure for launch from jail on the finish of his sentence.
Momentary Assistant Chief Constable Steve Parker stated: ‘We observe and welcome the sentencing of Jason Hicks immediately for what are despicable offences.
‘I wish to commend the bravery of the younger sufferer on this case and her household in coming ahead and reporting these appalling crimes.
‘We stay dedicated to bringing perpetrators of such offences to justice and people accountable will all the time be investigated and prosecuted to the total extent of the regulation.
‘All cops, together with these in coaching, have a privileged position in being a part of a Pressure answerable for the safeguarding of susceptible individuals. The actions of Jason Hicks have been wholly fallacious and unlawful and he now faces the implications of that.
‘Our Paedophile On-line Investigation Crew and Skilled Requirements Division acted swiftly as quickly as these offences have been delivered to our consideration and Hicks was instantly arrested and suspended. Accelerated misconduct proceedings meant he was dismissed quickly after.
‘Devon and Cornwall Police takes any stories of unlawful or inappropriate conduct extraordinarily severely.
‘All officers and workers are anticipated to abide by the Code of Ethics and make sure the highest requirements of behaviour, each on and off obligation.
‘I can reassure the general public that the overwhelming majority of our officers and workers work diligently to assist to maintain the general public secure, uphold our excessive requirements and supply an distinctive service to our communities.
‘We are going to all the time take the suitable motion when requirements fall under these anticipated and proceed to study from any cases the place they do.’
Detective Inspector Simon Foster, who led the investigation, added: ‘Devon and Cornwall Police’s Paedophile On-line Investigation Crew proactively seeks out offenders, regardless of their place in society.
‘This end result demonstrates the dedication we’ve got to safeguarding youngsters in Devon and Cornwall.
‘Our staff conducts warrants following investigations into a person’s on-line actions which result in arrests, fees, convictions and, most significantly, youngsters being safeguarded and shielded from hurt.
‘Our mission is to guard youngsters from on-line predators, whether or not that be convicting offenders for possessing baby sexual abuse materials or defending youngsters who’re groomed on-line.’
David Barnes, District Crown Prosecutor for CPS South West, stated: ‘Hicks used social media to seek out and make contact with younger ladies.
‘He pretended to be a teenage boy, sending express messages and images whereas encouraging the women to ship him intimate photographs of themselves. At the very least one woman, aged simply 9 years previous, despatched images of herself to Hicks consequently.
‘A swift investigation by the Devon and Cornwall Paedophile On-line Investigation Crew, working carefully with the Crown Prosecution Service, enabled us to construct a robust case that resulted in Hicks pleading responsible to a complete of 13 fees.
‘Girls and ladies have the best to really feel secure in all places, together with on-line. We are going to proceed to work in partnership with the police and different companies throughout the prison justice system to strengthen and enhance our joint strategy to tackling these appalling crimes.’
Each TikTok and Snapchat have been approached for remark.