Derbyshire teenager placed on sex offenders' register after sharing sexual pictures with teenagers on Snapchat

A Derbyshire teenager has been ordered to sign the sex offenders' register after sharing sexual images with two 15-year-old girls on Snapchat.
He exchanged sexual images with two 15-year-old girls via the mobile phone app Snapchat, which lets users send photos and videos that disappear after a few seconds.He exchanged sexual images with two 15-year-old girls via the mobile phone app Snapchat, which lets users send photos and videos that disappear after a few seconds.
He exchanged sexual images with two 15-year-old girls via the mobile phone app Snapchat, which lets users send photos and videos that disappear after a few seconds.

Joshua Fogg, 18, was given a suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to three charges of causing a child to engage in sexual activity and four charges of sexual activity with a child.

But a judge at Nottingham Crown Court told him: "it would be wrong to describe you as a paedophile".

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One girl began communicating with Fogg via the app, the court heard, and sent him hundreds of images of her naked chest and private area.

Fogg, of Priory Close, Kirk Hallam, Ilkeston, responded with images of himself, met up with her four times and had sexual activity with her.

"Neither of them showed their faces on these images," said Ian Way, prosecuting.

Police were informed after the mum of the second girl found inappropriate material on her phone.

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She then messaged Fogg saying "you are an adult, she is a child" but he replied "it is a joke, nothing more".

Fogg apologised and said he would remove the teenager from his account.

The second girl sent him pictures of her chest area after he asked for them and he sent pictures and videos of his private area to her, the court heard.

Fogg, who had no previous convictions, was arrested and interviewed.

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"Towards the end of interview he deeply regretted what he had done and acknowledged he shouldn't have done it," said Mr Way.

Barrister Dawn Pritchard, mitigating, said: "If there was ever a case for Snapchat not to be in existence, it is this."

Judge John Burgess, who sentenced Fogg, was told that neither girl wanted him to go to prison.

But he stressed that he had broken the law - the girls were only 15, and he knew that.

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"Given the closeness of your ages, it would be wrong to describe you as paedophile," he said.

Fogg received a 12-month custodial sentence, suspended for 18 months, and 30 rehabilitation activity days.

The judge ordered he sign the sex offenders' register for five years and be the subject of a sexual harm prevention order.

* A version of this story first appeared in the Nottingham Post.