Andrew Hart, aged 30, formerly of Thistle Close, Ipswich, has been sentenced to an extended determinate sentence of 12 years at Ipswich Crown Court after using fabricated schoolgirl personas on social media to groom and sexually exploit young boys.
The court heard that Hart systematically targeted nine male victims aged between nine and 13. Hart created fraudulent digital profiles across multiple social networks, including TikTok and Snapchat, falsely presenting himself as a young girl to gain the trust of his young victims. Once contact was established, Hart transmitted sexualised communications and directed conversations towards encrypted messaging services to obscure the audit trail from parents and law enforcement. He then coerced and manipulated the children into generating and sending indecent images of themselves.
Under UK legislation, all victims of sexual offences are protected by lifelong statutory anonymity.
At the time of the offending, Hart was already subject to strict prohibitions under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) following previous convictions. In total, Hart entered formal guilty pleas to an indictment containing 28 criminal offences:
- Four counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity
- One count of attempting to cause or incite a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity
- Four counts of possessing indecent photographs of children
- Six counts of making indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children
- Thirteen counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order
Determining that Hart posed an ongoing significant risk of serious harm to young children, the sentencing judge imposed an extended sentence under dangerous offender provisions. Hart was handed a total extended sentence of 12 years, comprising an immediate custodial term of eight years’ imprisonment followed by an extended licence period of four years.
Under the terms of an extended determinate sentence, Hart will be required to serve at least two-thirds of the eight-year custodial term before he can be considered for conditional release by the Parole Board.
In addition to the custodial sentence, Hart was made subject to statutory notification requirements on the Sex Offenders Register and ordered to pay a £228 victim surcharge. The court also granted forfeiture and destruction orders in respect of the iPad and mobile phone used to facilitate his offending.
Image – Anonymous Artist Impression
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