Jamie Cobden, a sexual predator Newcastle Paedophile who lured a schoolgirl online was apprehended when her father discovered inappropriate texts and images while repairing her phone.
Jamie Cobden initially contacted the girl on Snapchat when she was 14, misrepresenting his age as 18. On the second day of their correspondence, he sexualised the conversation by articulating his desires and enquiring about her school uniform.
After around four months, he disclosed his actual age of 26 and persuaded her that “age is merely a number,” expressing his desire to be her boyfriend, to which she responded that she felt uncomfortable. Jamie Cobden solicited sexual images from her, and upon her refusal, he exerted pressure until she complied. She transmitted video and audio of a sexual nature, subsequently expressing that she felt intimidated to refuse him. He transmitted an image of his genitalia to her.
The Newcastle Crown Court was informed that he pressured her to meet, claiming he would take her to supper and a hotel. She claimed that her parents prohibited her from meeting him.
Jamie Cobden’s illegal contact with the girl came to light after she dropped her phone in the bath and asked her dad to fix it. He then found the messages and images that had been exchanged when he looked at her phone out of parental curiosity.
Police were informed and she blocked Jamie Cobden although she later accepted a Facebook request from him. He said he missed her and she said she still had feelings for him but couldn’t talk anymore.
When he was arrested police found 2,037 messages, some of them graphic, had passed between them. They also discovered two category C indecent images he had downloaded online showing girls aged 12-15 in a shower wearing T shirts.
The teenager said in a victim impact statement: “I was only 14. To this day I’m very confused about how this affected me. I thought I was in love with him.
“I feel so guilty about everything and would tell myself how horrible a person I was. I was extremely lonely and he made me feel loved. Maybe he did love me or maybe he was taking advantage of a young girl.
“A 14 or 15-year-old kid should not have those problems. I hate that I did those things at such a young age.
“My world shattered and I had to reinvent myself, which is not easy completely. I don’t want another girl to go through what I did.
“I just hope Jamie has realised what he did was wrong. What happened will always be a part of me but I can move on now and help others.”
Jamie Cobden, 30, of Bentinck Road, Newcastle, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to two charges of inciting the girl to engage in sexual activity, sexual communication with a child and possessing two indecent images. He was jailed for 16 months and told he must sign the sex offenders register and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for ten years.
The court heard there was a “significant amount of grooming”. Recorder Mark McKone KC said: “This was persistent offending over a six month period and went into graphic detail.”
Jane Foley, defending, said: “The defendant was a very lonely individual. He had moved from Brighton to the North East, following the mother of his child.
“He continues to berate himself for his outrageous behaviour. His relationship with his daughter has been severely impacted and he barely sees her as a consequence.
“He suffers from low mood and deeply regrets his actions and his offending. He feels guilty about his behaviour. This will continue to effect him and weigh heavily on him for many years.”
Following the sentencing, the officer in charge of the case, Detective Sergeant Richie Jobson, of Northumbria Police, said: While no sentence could ever erase the trauma victims of these type of offences go through, hopefully it goes to show that we will do everything we can in our power to protect children from predators like Jamie Cobden.
I want to thank all the officers who took part in this investigation, including the digital forensic examiners who were able to uncover what Jamie Cobden had hidden on his devices.
Everyones efforts has ensured a comprehensive prosecution case was put before the courts, meaning a dangerous offender had little option but to admit his guilt. I hope this serves as a lesson to anyone who thinks they can get away with this type of criminality.
I want to praise the victim for coming forward with the information and commend her courage throughout the process. We are here to support any victims and are committed to making sure any offenders find themselves in a neighbouring cell to Jamie Cobden.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.