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Goan Man jailed for 15-months in the UK for sending explicated texts and images to minor girls

Francisco Pereira, a resident from Salcete, presently working in the Uk was recently sentenced with 15 months imprisonment for indulging in graphic sexual fantasies with
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Francisco Pereira, a resident from Salcete, presently working in the Uk was recently sentenced with 15 months imprisonment for indulging in graphic sexual fantasies with two minor British girls online and attempted to meet them to carry it out.

The arrest took place after Pereira who was being snared by Wolf Pack Hunters, a voluntary group that exposes pedophiles by creating fake media profiles of children on December 29, 2017, at a bus stop in Southall, near London at 9 pm. Pereira was on his way to meet the two girls called Hannah and Lucy, whom he thought he had been chatting with on an online platform. Adults had been operating the fake social media accounts using real photos. He was later arrested

His application to vacate his guilty plea on the bases that a family friend had interpreted was rejected. He was also made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

Previously published by Goa prism on their online edition, where Pereira had initiated contact with Hanna and moved the conversation in a sexual direction even though she repeatedly mentions she was 12, occurred back in the year 2017. Pereira had also sent a photo of his private parts to the girl, saying “Make sure your mum does not see it, otherwise you will be in trouble” prosecutor Daniel Fugallo said.

Also in May 2018 Pereira had pleaded not guilty to the charges and his passport had been impounded and Judge Wood from the Isle Crown court said: “I am not returning the passport because of his guilty pleas. This crime is clearly on the custody threshold in my view. Based on what I have heard and read you should expect a prison sentence,” judge Wood told Pereira.

Judge Wood passed concurrent sentences of three months and 15months for the four charges. Mark Tomassi, representing Pereira argued with it saying that it was a ‘thought crime’ as there was no real victim and it had only happened in ‘internet jurisdiction’.

The volunteer group had published the video of his apprehension, which had populated the internet long before the charges could be formulated and before any plea was entered said, Tomassi. Pereira was a relatively naive and unsophisticated man, who was ashamed of what he had done said the defense. He has relatives abroad and his cousin has been arrested by the police for being in possession of the content circulated online said Tomassi with reference to the video. They published this in India to expose him, he said.

Tomassi said that ‘I suggest he had learned his lesson and what he needs to do is to satisfy his sexual predilection lawfully. Custody will not be provided to him Tomassi added.

Passing the sentence the judge Wood said that he had given credits to Pereira for pleading guilty, even though he had earlier sought to vacate his guilty plea and therefore his sentence was reduced owing to the fact that the video was online, he had faced reprisals the fact that Hanna and Lucy did not exist and the actual intended effect could not have happened, judge Wood also added that he bore Pereira’s previously good character.

Pereira who stood in the court dressed in a light gray hooded jacket and dark washed jeans and trainers, carrying a rucksack while he listened to the offenses and judgments via a Hindi interpolator and his uncle and family watched from the public gallery.   

Source: TOI

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