A 32-YEAR-OLD man who used social-media platforms to groom and sexually exploit vulnerable teenage girls has been jailed for eight years and six months.
Matthew Snepp created multiple online aliases – including 45 different Snapchat user names to create both male and female accounts – to target his victims and gain their trust.
The police described Snepp’s crimes as “calculated” and said their investigation revealed the dangers posed by social media for young Islanders.
Crown Advocate Adam Harrison, prosecuting, told the Royal Court yesterday that Snepp had contacted the first girl, Miss A,
when she was 14, but when he sent her pictures in which he looked older than her, she stopped talking to him.
He added her again, using a different name, and sent her photographs of himself, the court heard. They eventually met and Snepp took the victim into a field near her home and sexually assaulted her.
The girl later said: “I didn’t know how to stop it, so I just let it happen.”
Miss B was 15 when Snepp added her on the app, telling her he was 19.
He asked for pictures and when she refused, he became aggressive and threatened her.
The court heard how she then sent nude and sexualised photos and videos, but had a “feeling of dread” the next morning that things were “not right” and that she “had done something very wrong”. A friend advised her to block Snepp and to tell her mother what had happened. Miss B’s mother then contacted the police.
Miss C – who was the victim of “the most serious grooming” in the case – was 15 when Snepp first added her on Snapchat, at which point he claimed to be 13.
The conversation started with small talk, but Snepp quickly moved to asking her sexual questions. The teenager reported being “disgusted” and “freaked out”.
Miss D was 15 when Snepp spoke to her, asking whether she was a virgin and about her “body count”.
When she said she was only 15, the defendant replied “sure, idc”, which is short for “I don’t care”.
He was also sentenced yesterday for perverting the course of justice.
He had been accused of raping an 18-year-old, Miss X, and was on bail but messaged her despite one of his bail conditions being not to contact her.
The court heard how the incidents affected the victims: one reported her performance at school had worsened, while another stopped trusting male teachers and was scared of using her phone as she couldn’t be sure about who she was speaking to.
Advocate Sarah Dale, defending, highlighted previous trauma that her client had faced in mitigation.
Snepp was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison for seven sexual offences, comprising unlawful sexual intercourse with an older child, two counts of sexual penetration of an older child, causing a sexual act with an older child and three counts of sexual grooming of a child.
Following Snepp’s sentencing, Detective Constable Verity Thomas said: “This case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by offenders who use social-media platforms to exploit young and vulnerable individuals. The courage of the victims who came forward has been vital in bringing this offender to justice, and we thank them for their bravery.”
DC Thomas added: “Our priority is to safeguard the vulnerable and bring perpetrators of such crimes to justice. We encourage anyone who suspects grooming or exploitation to report it immediately. The States of Jersey Police will listen, investigate and, with their partners, provide support every step of the way.”
Commissioner Alan Binnington was presiding, along with Jurats Dulake, Le Cornu, Le Heuzé, Entwistle and Berry.
Anyone with concerns or information related to grooming or sexual offences is encouraged to contact the States of Jersey Police on 612612.
