Jail for Facebook user who targeted Kent girls

A Kent man has been jailed for 16 months after he admitted pretending to be a teenage boy to contact girls on the social networking site Facebook.

Joseph Peacock, 21, of Lodge Oak Lane, Tonbridge, pleaded guilty to two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

At Sevenoaks Magistrates' Court, he also admitted one count of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

It heard how he persuaded girls to watch sexual acts on a web cam.

Peacock was caught after several students at west Kent schools reported they were contacted by a teenage boy, but when they were asked to look on a web cam, they saw an older man performing an obscene act.

'Trick children'

During interviews with the police, he admitted using the pseudonym Carl Sharpe to make contact with the girls, but denied being sexually attracted to children.

During sentencing at Maidstone Crown Court, Peacock was told he would have to sign the sex offenders register and was also given a sexual offenders prevention order.

Det Con Mikaela Stevens, of Kent Police, said the case showed how easy it was for sexual predators to trick children using the internet.

"Peacock preyed on unsuspecting children, causing them to watch explicit sexual acts for his own gratification," she said.