May 2022

Turkey farmer spared jail after asking ‘teenage girl’ to ‘show her wild side off’

A turkey farmer spent months online having sexual chats with what he thought was a schoolgirl. He had in fact been caught in a trap.

Martin Ainsbury, from the Buckley area in Flintshire, appeared at Mold Crown Court on Tuesday morning.

He had previously admitted to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Jemma Gordan, prosecuting, told the court that Ainsbury had an account on the Kik social media site under the name “Marvin Biggy”.

The 29-year-old came across a girl called Beth whom he believed was 13 years old, but she was in fact an undercover police officer.

The court heard that Ainsbury contacted the girl on April 19 last year. He told the supposed teenager he was a 20-year-old man from Chester before asking her for photographs of herself – at this point being well aware of her age.

Ainsbury badgered the girl “over the next few days” for pictures of herself, the court heard, while sharing indecent images of himself.

At one stage, he asked the schoolgirl to “strip for me”. He told her that “this can stay between me and you so that nobody gets in trouble – lol”.

Ms Gordan told the judge that the dad-of-two also tried to arrange a “naughty video call” with Beth, saying that she could “show her wild side off” to him. The planning continued on Snapchat, where Ainsbury asked the girl if she “had any toys” for their call followed by a winking emoji.

After three attempts to video call the child went unanswered, Ainsbury branded the girl a “waste of time” before ending all contact. Weeks later, he was arrested at the farm where he works.

The court heard that Ainsbury’s most relevant previous conviction dates back to 2015 for carrying out a sexual offence with a child. He was jailed for just over two years.

Passing sentence, Judge Niclas Parry said: “Over a period of four months, once again, you put your desire for sexual gratification at the expense of children above all else.

Despite knowing the risks from previous experience, and having previously completed an extensive intervention programme, you went ahead and persistently harassed what you genuinely believed was a 13-year-old girl.

“It’s a serious matter, indicative of someone who puts themselves first and who has no regard for the wellbeing of children.

Clearly, the matter is aggravated by that previous conviction and the persistence of this offending.

“I bear in mind that this sentence also has an impact on three innocent people – your own children and a former partner who rely on your income.”

Judge Parry suspended a year-long custodial sentence for two years.

He also ordered that Ainsbury complete a “demanding” rehabilitation activity of 45 days and 250 hours of unpaid work.

He was made subject to a new sexual harm prevention order, banning him from being in the same house as a girl under 16 without social services approving, for the next decade.

The police must also know about any and all devices he uses that can access the internet.