A social media predator who preyed on young girls online – and tried to lure them into exchanging highly sexualised messages with him and send explicit pictures of themselves – has been jailed after being branded a “dangerous offender”.
Perverted serial sex offender David Brennan targeted and chatted up eight girls and he also got involved in exchanging sexual messages with another teenage girl who, in reality, was an undercover police officer pretending to be a child, Hull Crown Court heard.
Brennan, 41, of Peppleton Close, east Hull, but recently in custody on remand, denied 11 offences including causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, sexual communication with a child, paying for the sexual services of a child, meeting a child following sexual grooming, blackmail, attempting to communicate sexually with a child and attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity. He was convicted by a jury after a three-week trial that ended on May 8.
He admitted other charges of sexual offences involving children and refusing to provide the PIN for his mobile phone.
The offences included asking the girls to send intimate images of themselves to him. He also sent explicit images of himself to them, the court heard.
A girl who was 13 at the time told the court in a statement: “I felt really isolated. I didn’t want to go to school. My school work was massively affected. I felt trapped and claustrophobic.
“I have nightmares about his face when I close my eyes. My anxiety has got worse as a result of his actions. I want David Brennan to learn from what he has done and I want to move forward.”
A girl who was 12 at the time said that what happened to her affected her friendships. “It has affected my relationship with my mum,” she said. Her mother was now stricter about where she was allowed to go.
“It has been really hard to deal with it all”, she said. “I hope that David Brennan regrets what he did to me and other girls and that he doesn’t do it again.”
A girl who was 13 at the time said that there were constant reminders of Brennan every day. He kissed her on one occasion and he also paid her to let him touch her sexually. He had given her a bottle of alcohol to drink, the court heard.
“I was the first person who reported it to the police,” she said. “I think about what David Brennan did.
“I would like David Brennan to apologise to me and the other girls. I would like him to feel guilty and embarrassed like I did.”
A girl who was 14 when she began communicating with Brennan online said: “I was afraid to go out on my own. I was scared to go out in case he was waiting. I was very relieved when I was told he was in prison. I have not really told anybody what he did and kept it to myself. Often, I just don’t want to go to school.”
A girl who was 12 at the time she started chatting to Brennan on social media said: “I thought that I was going to be taken away from my family and put into foster care. My mum reassured me that I wasn’t going to be taken away.
“I felt really down and low. I didn’t want to do anything or go to school. Now I know that David Brennan was the one who was at fault. I am a lot more careful about who I accept as a friend on social media.
“I am working on building my confidence back up. I would like David Brennan to think about what he has done.”
Brennan had convictions for five previous offences, the court heard.
Stephen Robinson, mitigating, said that Brennan claimed that alcohol misuse and problems contributed to his behaviour. He had addressed these while in prison. “He has stayed off alcohol since his remand in custody,” said Mr Robinson.
“He feels better for it. He is taking some steps in custody to address his position. He has not properly confronted what he has done here. I do not for a moment pretend that there is any remorse.
“He has started to do some work which may go some way towards reducing his risk of offending. It’s a very small, modest start.
“The defendant knows that he is going to be receiving a very significant sentence to reflect all this offending. He has been convicted of a number of serious offences, many of them after trial. The mitigation is severely limited because he has had a trial on so many of these offences.
“There has been no further sexual offending from this defendant. He has been able to stay out of trouble for significant periods of time. There is a better or more positive side in relation to his work history. That masks a deeper secret here.”
Brennan was jailed for 15 years after being described as a dangerous offender. He will be on extended licence of five years after his release from custody. He was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and he must register for life as a sex offender.
Brennan ‘would threaten the girls if they did not comply’
Detective Sergeant Stuart Fox from Humberside Police’s Child Sexual Exploitation Team, who led the investigation, said: “Following Brennan’s initial arrest in May last year following multiple reports of young girls being approached by Brennan via social media and then subsequently arranging to meet them for his own sexual purpose, Brennan’s mobile and other electronic equipment was seized for examination.
“Our north bank Child Sexual Expoitation (CSE) team worked closely with multiple victims and witnesses within the Hull and East Riding area with support from partner agencies inclusive of Social Services and Education.
“As the investigation developed it was quickly established that Brennan knowingly communicated with girls as young as 12-years-old, arranging to meet them in secluded locations in Hull under his instruction, and leaving them cash gifts for them to find.
“On further analysis of his devices, it was established that Brennan was engaging with other children around the country between the ages of 14-and 16-years-old. It was seen that this was via social media and him often seeking them out, blackmailing them with money, and manipulating them into sending photos.
“Not only this, but there was profound evidence that Brennan would send sexually explicit photographs of himself and would threaten the girls if they did not comply with his demands in return.
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“The victims in this case were all children and Brennan used that to his advantage by waving cash or alcohol as an incentive to manipulate them at first, followed by making demands with consequences and this allowed him to gain full control of the children he interacted with.
“I’d like to commend the victims and witnesses for their bravery in coming forward and speaking out, whilst it will not take away the devastating pain and trauma inflicted upon them, it is because of their strength we have been able to collate a substantial amount of evidence ultimately putting Brennan behind bars for a long time.
“We take all reports of this nature extremely seriously, and we will continue to seek justice for those who have suffered from crimes of similar nature and help to work with party agencies to support them throughout an investigation.
“We would encourage anyone who believes they have been a victim of, or has witnessed sexual crimes, in any form, to please contact us as soon as possible via our non-emergency number 101. Always call 999 in an emergency or if you are in immediate danger.
“When you are ready, Tell Someone.”