A “sexual deviant” from Warrington was found to have indecent images of children on his tablet and to have been engaging in sexualised conversations with another pervert, a court heard.
Riccardo Gargiulo had been using the handle ‘Family Guy 02020’ in online conversations with the other man, who was using the name ‘Dirty Uncle 66’.
“Their conversations were found to have been sexualised in nature and on occasion explicit images of children were sent to the defendant,” said Paul Blasbery, prosecuting.
Liverpool Crown Court was told yesterday(Tue) that police executed a search warrant at the defendant’s home on April 5, 2022 after intelligence was received from the National Crime Agency.
A total of 12 electronic devices were seized and analysed but only one, a Acer tablet, raised concerns as it was found to contain three Category A images of children aged 11 – 14 and 12 Category C images of children aged about ten.
Gargiulo had previously been issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order in September 2018 and ordered to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years, said Mr Blasbery.
The SHPO placed restrictions on his internet use and it was found he had been using an American application to send encrypted messages to the other man.
Gargiulo, of Watkin Street, Orford, was arrested and when interviewed said the images may have been inadvertently sent to him while he was engaged in sexualised chats.
He pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images, two of making them and breaching the SHPO. The court heard that he has two previous convictions involving making indecent images and breaching a SHPO.
Eve Salter, defending, pointed out that the offences occurred a long time ago and it was not the defendant’s fault that it had taken so long to come to court.
He had voluntarily been having psychotherapy since his arrest and was still doing so. He no longer used social media or watched pornography.
He lived with his 80-year-old mother and was socially isolated, said Miss Salter.
Judge David Aubrey, KC, described Gargiulo as “a sexual deviant. You have an unhealthy interest in young children and you have had such an interest in young children for your own sexual gratification.”
He said that the defendant “is a rather isolated unstable lonely man” and the public and children would be better protected by the appropriate custodial sentence being suspended.
The judge expressed concern that it was only earlier this year that the CPS received the information from the police and the court had not received an explanation for this.
He imposed 14 months imprisonment suspended for two years and ordered him to carry out 30 days rehabilitation activities and attend the Horizon probation programme. He also ordered him to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years.
