Controlling Solihull paedophile describes prison as ‘worst six months of my life’
A paedophile who tried to sexually groom a 14-year-old girl has described his brief time in prison as ‘the worst six months in my life’.
Craig Sutheran has been ‘effectively seen as a pariah’ whilst being held in custody, including time at HMP Birmingham, a court heard.
But the 32-year-old from Solihull was told he would be released imminently as he was handed a community order as opposed to an immediate jail time on Monday, February 8. The punishment came despite Sutheran admitting he liked to ‘control’ young girls and initially denying he had done anything criminal.
In May last year he entered a chatroom aimed at 14 to 19-year-olds on the Kik app. He sent a message to a ‘decoy’ profile saying ‘nice pic’ and ‘almost immediately’ asked how old they were, to which the person replied 14.
Sutheran responded saying ‘I’m old does age bother you?’ before claiming to work for the NHS, prosecutor Adrian Fleming told Birmingham Crown Court.
Within days his ‘persistent messaging’ became sexual and he asked the decoy to send photographs. Sutheran continued his perverted requests over the course of the following two months. He also sent a graphic video and asked the decoy to perform a sex act, before he was arrested at his home on July 30
Mr Fleming said: “He admitted having communication with a 14-year-old and sending a video. But he claimed he had no sexual interest in children.
“He said he liked to control other people and targeted younger girls as they were easier to control. He admitted what he had done was morally wrong but not quite criminally wrong.”
Sutheran, of Redlands Road, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity and attempting to incite a child into sexual activity.
Judge Avik Mukherjee stated the ‘most constructive’ way to deal with the risk the defendant posed to the public was outside of prison.
He sentenced Sutheran to a three-year community order including 40 days of rehabilitation activity, 80 hours of unpaid work and a sex offender treatment programme. He was also made subject of a five-year sexual harm prevention order and must keep the police notified as to where he lives during that period.
Judge Mukherjee added that he did not suppose Sutheran had ‘enjoyed’ his time spent in custody to which the defendant replied ‘It’s been the worst six months of my life your honour’.
Justin Hugheston-Roberts, defending, stated Sutheran was suffering from poor mental health at the time of the offences and saying he had now lost his home, job and any chance of contact with his unborn daughter.
The barrister questioned ‘what’s the point?’ of sending him to prison emphasising that his client was ‘in desperate need of help’.
Referring to the current conditions in prison due to the Covid-19 pandemic Mr Hugheston Roberts added: “Someone such as Craig Sutheran has been effectively seen as a pariah, it is difficult enough living in a closed community in prison today.”
