June 2019

Paedophile avoids jail after explicit chats with ’10-year-old girl’ are exposed by paedo hunters

A paedophile who preyed on a “10-year-old girl” suggesting she slept with him, dress up in leotards and move in with him at his home in Yeovil has escaped jail when he appeared in court to be sentenced.

John Jannikos had no idea at the time that he was engaged in conversation with a decoy profile of a young girl in a trap set up by a paedophile hunter group.

He regularly talked to her over the course of several months, asked if she knew what a condom was and asked her for sex, reassuring her it was ok after she suggested her mum would not allow it.

He also said he had bought her some leotards and sent her photos of a pink and blue one saying he couldn’t wait to see her wearing them.

When he was confronted outside his home with evidence of his activities by members of the group the police were called and searched his home.

In his bedroom they discovered the same two leotards in the pictures sent to the ‘victim’ covered in semen stains along with a sex toy resembling a young girl.

The 31-year-old defendant, of Willow Road, denied a charge that between August 28, and September 25 last year in Somerset he attempted to communicate with a person under the age of 16 who he did not believe was 16 or over, and the communication was sexual, namely talking about sex and asking her if she knew what a condom was, and for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification.

However he was convicted of the offence following a trial held before Somerset Magistrates at Yeovil.

They sentenced Jannikos to a three year community order with a direction to comply with a sex offenders programme.

He must also carry out a 20 day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement and complete 150 hours unpaid work.

Costs of £775 and an £85 victim surcharge were also imposed and he was ordered to remain on the Sex Offenders Register for the next four years.

Prosecutor Suzie Butler said that it was a case of internet grooming by the defendant who thought he was speaking to a 10-year-old girl but it was really a decoy profile.

The profile had been set in the name of a “girl” and a male with Facebook profile of John Jannikos soon contacted her and a number of conversations took place between them between August and September last year.

“During these conversations the defendant offered to buy her a leotard and bikini and asked if she wanted to move in with him,” she said.

“He also asked her if she knew what a condom was and said he knew there was an age gap but he would like them to be together.

“He said he loved her and cared about her and then sent the question ‘Sex?’ followed by a thumbs up sign.

“Jannikos also told the ‘girl’ he ordered her a leotard and four sets of swimwear and wanted her to try them on and send him pictures.

“He also said he loved her, sent her pictures of a pink and a blue leotard when the order was delivered and said he couldn’t wait to see her in them.”

When the defendant was confronted by members of the paedophile hunter group he said he was ashamed.

The police were called and he was arrested, and when they searched his address a mobile phone, tablet and laptop were found.

They also discovered two leotards, similar to those in the photos, and when stains were found on them the officers asked Jannikos what it was and he said it was semen.

He said he had been “so stupid” but when he was voluntarily interviewed he made no comment to all questions asked of him.

A data extraction report showed evidence that the defendant had purchased the two leotards from an online retailer although no indecent images of children were found on the devices.

Pervert who thought he was messaging 10-year-old girl caught in trap by paedo hunters

A pervert who preyed on a “10-year-old girl” after striking up a friendship online and asked her for sex was snared in a trap laid by a paedophile hunter group.

John Jannikos, from Yeovil, asked the “victim” if she would be his girlfriend, asked if she knew what a condom was and sent her pictures of leotards and swimwear saying he couldn’t wait to see her wearing then.

He had a number of online conversations with her saying he would love to see her “beautiful body” and then sent her the message “sex” with a thumbs up sign.

Unbeknown to the defendant the 10-year-old girl was a fake online profile after a decoy had been set up by a paedophile hunter group.

When members of the group went to Jannikos’s home in Willow Road to confront him with the evidence of his online activities, the police were called and searched his address.

In his upstairs bedroom they discovered a pink and blue child’s leotard, the same ones in the photos he had sent to the “girl”, covered in the defendant’s own semen along with a sex doll of a small girl, mobile phone and laptop.

When he was arrested he flatly refuted allegations that he had been the person sending the messages, despite it coming from an account in the name of John Jannikos and when all his electronic devices were password-protected.

The 31-year-old defendant, of Willow Road, pleaded not guilty that between August 28, and September 25 last year in Somerset he attempted to communicate with a person under the age of 16 who he did not believe was 16 or over, and the communication was sexual, namely talking about sex and asking her if she knew what a condom was, and for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification.

However, following a trial before Somerset Magistrates at Yeovil he was convicted of the offence and ordered to appear back before the court on June 21 and was warned he could be facing a prison sentence.

Prosecutor Rhys Jenkins said that a decoy profile of a 10-year-old girl called “Amy Beech” was created by Mr Fieldhouse, a member of a paedophile hunter group, and “she” was soon contacted by a person with a profile name of John Jannikos.

A number of conversations ensued during which the girl said many times that she was 10 but the defendant asked her if she would be his girlfriend even though he knew there was a big age gap.

“He talked about sex, asked her if she knew what a condom was and said that he loved her,” he said.

“He also requested to see photos of her and said she would not get into trouble with her mother if she did.

“He also sent her pictures of a leotard that he wanted her to wear.”

Information about the online activities was passed to the police by Mr Fieldhouse and when he went to the defendant’s home the police were called to the scene.

“A search was carried out at the address, where Jannikos was a full-time carer for his disabled uncle, and a mobile phone and laptop were seized along with two leotards, two swimsuits and receipts for the items which had been bought over the internet,” said Mr Jenkins.

“Stains found on the two leotards was later confirmed to be the defendant’s semen and he was arrested and taken into custody.

“His laptop contained a search for a person called “Amy Beech” on Facebook and examination of his mobile phone showed activity relating to a website called Firstposition.com where he had purchased the leotards from.

When he was interviewed by the police he repeatedly made no comment to all questions asked of him, and during the trial he emphatically denied being the person who had contacted the girl.

The court was told that police examination of the defendant’s mobile devices did not reveal the messages sent to the girl.

However the photos of the pink and blue leotards were taken against the backdrop of a distinctive diamond-patterned carpet which matched the defendant’s own bedroom carpet.

Giving evidence from the witness box, Jannikos maintained his innocence saying that a comment he made to the police when they arrested him of “I’m embarrassed about what I have done” had been misinterpreted as him being embarrassed about the police turning up at his address.

When asked about the leotards taken from his property he replied: “Obviously I did get them, but not in the way you’re thinking. I just like leotards and swimwear.”

He also admitted that it was his semen that was found on the crotch of the leotards.

The magistrates told Jannikos that after considering all the evidence before them they found him guilty of the offence and that he had attempted to obtain sexual gratification via his online communications.

They told him that the only small consolation was that the 10-year-old girl was a fictitious person and had not suffered the psychological harm that might have been caused through his actions.

The defendant was ordered to sign onto the Sex Offenders Register within three days of the hearing and were also told of the prosecution’s application to impose a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The length of both orders will be decided at the sentencing hearing and the magistrates did not rule out committing Jannikos to the crown court for sentence if the next Bench felt the case merited it.

Until his next court appearance he was released on unconditional bail.