Snodland sex offender jailed for abusing children online

A sex offender from Snodland looking for a ‘secret boyfriend’ has been jailed after officers recognised the bedroom wallpaper in images he sent to his victim.

On 20 November 2023, Jack Hickey, 28, of Woodlands Avenue, created a profile for Chat Avenue, an online chatroom service, before proactively targeting a user he believed to be a teenage boy.

After convincing his victim to communicate via Snapchat, a messaging platform used for privacy features such as disappearing messages, Hickey began sending them pictures and sexually explicit messages, including an indecent image of himself.

Arrested

An investigation by digital forensic analysts identified Hickey as the offender and attended his address on 30 November, where they were able to match the wallpaper and missing coving in one of the images to that in his bedroom.

Hickey was arrested at the scene and subsequently made subject to sex offenders notification requirements while he awaited sentencing.

Between 15 and 19 November 2024, he created and used another Snapchat account to communicate with what he believed to be another teenage boy, in a breach of his conditions.

Once more Hickey bombarded his target with lewd messages, repeatedly asking them to take part in video calls and take explicit photographs while wearing a school uniform. Hickey eventually arranged to meet his victim in Canterbury after dark.

When Hickey arrived at the agreed meeting point, officers were waiting to arrest him and remand him to custody.

Sentenced

Hickey was sentenced to four years and 10 months’ imprisonment at Maidstone Crown Court on Wednesday 19 February 2025, after pleading guilty to:

• Attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child;
• Causing a child to look at an image of a person engaging in sexual activity;
• Making indecent photographs;
• Arranging a child sex offence;
• Attempting to meet a child;
• Breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Steph Kirkin, said:

‘Hickey is a predator who targeted victims he believed to be young and vulnerable. He repeatedly sent his victims a barrage of lewd messages in a bid to coerce them into sharing content for his own gratification. ‘Despite being captured and registered as a sex offender, Hickey shamelessly continued his abhorrent behaviour, resulting in a swift remand and custodial sentence.’