A MAN from Rhyl who sent messages of a sexual nature to three women and one child has been jailed.

Paul Fleet, 26, of Thornley Avenue, was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment at Caernarfon Crown Court today (October 26).

He was found guilty after trial of engaging in sexual communication with a child, having previously admitted charges of sending offensive messages, stalking, and harassment.

READ MORE:

Rhyl shop which received ‘zero’ food hygiene rating to pay nearly £25K

‘Do you want me to shoot you?’, Rhyl man asked construction worker

Rhyl man spared jail after stealing goods in ‘spree’ of thefts

Prosecuting, Patrick Gartland told the court that, on November 4, 2022, a woman received messages of a sexual nature from an Instagram account named “garethjones622”.

Fleet was behind this account and sending these messages, unbeknown to the woman.

Messages included pictures of his genitals and videos of him performing a sex act, but always with his face covered.

Written messages sent from Fleet to the woman intimated that he wanted to engage in sexual activity with her, and that he would pay her money in return for sexual photos.

Fleet later sent sexually explicit written and photo messages to another woman via the same Instagram account, telling her: “I’ll send you anything on PayPal to see your t***”.

On November 18, he sent another woman Facebook messages of his penis, which he later claimed was an “accident” which he was “embarrassed” about.

A female child was then sent sexual messages by Fleet on November 24, via his fake Instagram account, which continued into the early hours of the following morning.

When he was arrested, he denied being behind the Instagram account, and was bailed.

But his messages continued after that, including him telling the girl: “You deserve to be a model.”

On December 26, he admitted responsibility for the Instagram account and apologised, but also said it was “not his fault” and that he was “unwell”.

Fleet was re-arrested on January 27, 2023, when he admitted lying in his previous interview and being behind all of the Instagram account’s activity.

After he was again bailed, one of the women then realised, on March 23, that messages of a sexual nature had been sent to others from her own Facebook account.

She had not sent them, and after officers investigated, it transpired that the messages in question had been sent from the IP address matching that of Fleet’s own address.

Giving victim statements, one of the women said she has struggled to sleep since these incidents.

“I no longer trust anyone… I overthink and question every strange thing that has happened to me over the last couple of years,” she said.

Another of the women condemned Fleet’s “sickening actions”.

She added: “The psychological effect that this incident has had on me is immense. There is no justification for what he has done. It is sick.”

Defending Fleet, Simon Mintz said he was a man of previous good character, but “not without his own difficulties”.

Fleet has had a “long history of drug abuse, which no doubt has affected his mental state,” Mr Mintz said.

He conceded that his client’s offences were “very troubling,” but said he has suffered from symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Sentencing, Judge Nicola Saffman told Fleet that he had aimed to “maximise distress” through his “sophisticated” actions.

She also told him he had “utterly humiliated” the woman whose Facebook account he had hacked into.

“I have great criticism of the police for bailing you (prior to hacking the woman’s Facebook account),” Judge Saffman added.

Fleet will also adhere to a sexual harm prevention order, and sex offenders register notification requirements, indefinitely.

Restraining orders were handed to him, prohibiting him from contacting the victims for 10 years.