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Posted by Editor on 1st September 2010 at 10:54 AM
Online groomer convicted for Eccles meet
A man who gave music lessons to children has been sentenced for using the internet to arrange meeting a 14-year-old girl for sex.

Philip James Blacklock (born 19/10/76) of Siemens Street, Horwich, pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.

Today, Tuesday 31 August 2010 he was sentenced to a three-year community rehabilitation order.

He has been ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for five years and made the subject of a Sex Offenders' Prevention Order for five years.

Blacklock worked at a music shop in Bolton and would give guitar lessons to adults and children. He was caught out by a covert operation carried out by trained Greater Manchester Police officers, who set up fake profiles of children on social networking sites.

Using the 'chat' facility on a website, Blacklock approached who he believed was a 14-year-old girl.

In the conversations, Blacklock sent a picture of himself. It was also clear to Blacklock that the profile was that of a teenage girl.

Blacklock then turned the conversations sexual, and asked to meet with the girl in Eccles.

As planned, Blacklock arrived at a car park in Eccles on 18 November 2009, and was arrested by officers from Greater Manchester Police's Sexual Crimes Unit.

Detective Constable Andy Pilling said: "Clearly Blacklock intended to meet this person with the intention of having sex with her.

"We hope that this sentence will act as a deterrent for anyone using the internet to attempt to abuse children. Potential groomers are warned that they could be chatting to a police officer.

"In this case a child was not being groomed, but parents and children should be take steps to ensure that they are safely using the internet.

"A number of instant messaging and social networking sites now have access to an emergency internet safety button which takes users to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), where suspicious behaviour can be reported.

"Anyone seeking online safety advice should visit www.ceop.police.uk."

Greater Manchester Police have issued these key tips on internet safety:

- Children should understand that should not give out their personal details online and be aware of the dangers in meeting somebody they have met through the internet.

- There are many websites for parents and children which specifically look at safety issues in using the Internet, and in particular chat rooms. A leaflet offering internet safety tips for parents and teachers which is available from all local police stations or from www.thinkuknow.co.uk.

- Parents should try to monitor the time their child spends on the internet and also set up a filtering process which helps to block any unwanted information coming through.

Report as offensive or innapropriate Comment by Guest  2nd September 2010
I didn't say entrapment and I wasn't defending him. I was just responding to the commenter before me who was asking what the sentence "In this case a child was not being groomed" from the article meant.

Report as offensive or innapropriate Comment by Guest  2nd September 2010
why defend this nonce

Report as offensive or innapropriate Comment by Guest  2nd September 2010
Entrapment you are saying, the bloke is bang out of order and should be banged up, a nonce, end off.

Report as offensive or innapropriate Comment by Guest  2nd September 2010
It says *A* child wasn't being groomed because it wasn't a real child. It was a police officer posing as one.

Report as offensive or innapropriate Comment by Guest  2nd September 2010
How was this child "not being groomed" if he was in a position of responsibility, she was underage, and he "turned the conversations sexual"? Anyone?

Report as offensive or innapropriate Comment by Guest  2nd September 2010
"We hope this sentence will act as a deterrent" says our intrepid Plod! yeah, right, that's just the point you are missing. It won't. Any right minded person will tell you this creep should have been banged up for 5 years MINIMUM. God forbid he ever forgot to pay his TV licence or overfilled his bins then he would be taught a lesson. This is a prime example of why the general public are so apathetic to the "powers that be" in passing wholly inadequate sentences such as this. Let me out I've had enough.........

Report as offensive or innapropriate Comment by Guest  1st September 2010
Why was this pervert not locked up, his intentions were to groom a young girl for underage sex, simply because he was foiled in his attempt doesn't make the crime any less severe surely.

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