A MAN has avoided immediate jail time after he admitted to trying to instruct and encourage a young girl how to masturbate.
Timothy Clarke, 61, was given a suspended sentence at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday, June 23, for two counts of child sexual communication offences.
Clarke, of St Peter’s Close, Pirton, near Worcester, admitted to attempting to cause or incite a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child at the court on May 6.
The 61-year-old had contacted what he understood was a 13-year-old girl on July 26, 2024, for the purpose of his own sexual gratification.
Clarke had described how to masturbate to the 13-year-old, before instructing her to do it herself.
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Sentencing, Judge James Burbidge handed Clarke a 26-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, for inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 into sexual activity, and a 10-month prison sentence, also suspended for two years, for attempting to engage in sexual activity.
In addition to the suspended sentence, Clarke received a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.
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The order will restrict his ability to reoffend, with the 61-year-old prevented from deleting his internet history, using a device capable of storing images unless police are able to inspect it, or attempting to tamper with any software installed by police to manage the risk he poses.
He was also ordered to complete up to 30 days’ worth of rehabilitation activities, 80 hours of unpaid work, and the phone used to commit the offences was seized by police.
