St Albans man has been jailed for 14 months for his “calculated and predatory behaviour” in grooming a 10-year-old on Facebook.
Jalal Hussain pleaded guilty in the County Court to grooming a child under the age of 16 for sexual contact, procuring a minor for child pornography, and possession of child pornography.
A sentencing hearing on May 13 heard the 25-year-old began following his victim on Facebook in July 2014, sending her the word “sexy” on July 22.
When the victim eventually responded on February 28, 2015, Hussain began communicating with her in a “sexually explicit manner” up until July 30 last year, exchanging about 192 messages.
He asked her to “sex chat” with him, but the victim refused, saying she was only 10.
“You said that was not a problem and explained you could communicate through messages and sexy pictures,” Judge Jane Patrick said.
Police were alerted when the victim’s mother found her daughter’s Facebook account open and saw recent communication between the pair.
Monitored
Police monitored Hussain’s Facebook page until he was arrested on September 28 last year. He told police the victim looked “little” and that he did not intend to meet her.
The victim’s mother said her daughter had become withdrawn and no longer used the internet at home.
Judge Patrick said Hussain knew from the beginning his victim was “very young”.
“You persisted and messaged her repeatedly, particularly over a four-day period, with graphic and explicit messages,” he said. “You tried to get her to trust you and to engage in increasingly sexually explicit … activity.
“You were very much older than her and took advantage of her young age, friendliness and vulnerability to your grooming activity.
“This child was 10. She ought not to have been subject to your sexual fantasies and sexual predations. She was far too young.”
The court was told that at the time of the offences, Hussain was in Australia on a bridging visa after arriving by boat from Pakistan in 2013.
Since his arrest he had been held at Maribyrnong Detention Centre.
