In 2020, the Offender Database recorded that 75-year-old Patrick Jessemey—of Wantage Road, Didcot—was jailed for 36 months after inciting what he believed was a child to sexual activity. The investigation established that Jessemey utilized the Kik messaging app and an online chat site to communicate with a 12-year-old girl. The prosecution reported that the child was actually a fictional character operated by a male police officer during an undercover sting operation.
The investigation established that Jessemey engaged in sexual communications between 8 and 23 August, despite being explicitly told the child’s age. The prosecution reported that he asked the decoy child for photographs and detailed specific sexual acts he intended to perform with her. In a display of “predatory” intent, Jessemey also sent a photograph of himself to the operator, confirming his identity and his desire to meet the child for illicit activity.
Judicial Findings and Sentencing
The court reported that upon his arrest, Jessemey attempted to gaslight the authorities by claiming he was “just messing about” and did not know the girl’s age. The investigation established that this “deceptive” defence was flatly rejected by the evidence gathered during the 15-day period of communication. The prosecution reported that during the sentencing at Oxford Crown Court on Thursday, 22 October 2020, Judge Nigel Daly determined that Jessemey’s actions necessitated an immediate custodial term.
Judge-led proceedings concluded with Jessemey being sentenced to three years in prison. For his actions in Didcot and the nature of the child rape incitement reported, he was ordered to register as a sex offender for life. The judge also imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), noting that Jessemey’s “vile” and persistent attempts to groom a 12-year-old demonstrated he was a serious risk to the public despite his advanced age.
Status and Statutory Requirements
Based on the judicial orders issued at Oxford Crown Court in 2020:
- Custodial Status: SERVING (Sentenced to 36 months in 2020; currently incarcerated or on licence).
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are active FOR LIFE.
- SHPO Status: Active INDEFINITELY (Restricts internet usage and prohibits contact with minors).
- DBS Status: Placed on the Barring List (Indefinite ban on working with children or vulnerable adults; permanently barred from all regulated activity).
- Legal Status: CONVICTED (Attempting to incite a girl aged under 13 to sexual activity).
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Oxford Crown Court; investigated by Thames Valley Police.
- Criminal Record: Targeted a child on Kik; Asked for photographs and detailed sexual acts; Claimed he was “just talking” after being caught in a police sting; Registered sex offender for life at age 75.
- Origin: Wantage Road, Didcot, Oxfordshire.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Jessemey is managed as a registered sex offender under the statutory requirements of the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) in Oxfordshire. Due to the nature of his conduct—specifically his “calculated use of digital platforms to groom and incite a child to sexual activity”—he is a priority for digital monitoring. Authorities reported that the 2020 conviction ensures Jessemey is subject to lifelong oversight, as his “sinister” focus on a 12-year-old identifies him as a persistent threat.
As a registered sex offender for life, his details are permanently logged on the national police database. Authorities state that Jessemey’s history identifies him as an individual who prioritised his own “vile” desires over the safety and human rights of a child. Any failure by Jessemey to notify police of his movements in Didcot or elsewhere, or any attempt to access prohibited chat platforms, will result in immediate police intervention to ensure the ongoing safety of the public from a man who has violated the principles of human decency.
QUESTION – Given that the offender used “I didn’t know her age” as a defence despite being told repeatedly, do you believe that “Age-Blindness Claims” should legally be excluded as a mitigating factor in all child grooming cases?
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